Code Geass: The Last Noble Spartan
by Spartan416
Summary: Noble Six never asked for a second chance but he got one anyway, only now everythings changed. Its a new fight, a different world, and the hardest challenge he'll ever face. Rated M for violence
1. Prologue

If anything can go wrong, it will

Corollary: It can

Corollary: It should

-Rule one of Murphy's Law

* * *

2080

Colonization: Humans settle on Luna, Mars, and the Jovian moons.

2164-2170

Interplanetary war: Kloslovic and Frieden insurrectionists battle the UNSC

2291

Invention of the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive: humanity achieves faster than light slipspace travel.

2310

Colony ships: earths first are introduced and sent to other worlds.

2390-2490

Empire: hundreds of colonies thrive, but they are dependent on resources from the outer colonies.

2517

SPARTAN 2 program launches: originally known as the ORION Project Generation II, it was part of the SPARTAN Program, an effort to produce elite soldiers through mechanical and biological augmentation.

2524

First meeting with The Covenant: humans and the covenant encounter each other in space near the colony world Harvest.

2525

Covenant war: The Covenant begins a holy campaign to exterminate the human race.

2526- Present

Covenant is winning: Covenant fleets have glassed all outer colonies and have begun attacking the inner colonies.

Present

Covenant invades Reach: Covenant forces have landed on humanity's last military stronghold, next to earth.

* * *

In the northern hemisphere, the Office of Naval Intelligence's (ONI) sword base was originally set up to study the ancient alien artifact that lay dormant under the nearby glacier. Over the years its purpose has evolved into the research and development of new weapons technology. With the destruction of the Algolis Colony, it had become one of the primary R&amp;D facilities, second only to Castle Base.

Noble team's mission to destroy the Covenant carrier had ended hours ago right before the fleet of Covenant corvettes came in and started glassing everything and occupying the rest.

Right now at Sword Base a team of ONI spooks were finishing packing up. They were ordered to retrieve materials and equipment either too large or too classified to move in the beginning of the evacuation.

The chief spook looked out onto the soon to be devastated landscape from one of the many plasma burned holes that covered the outside of the once imposing structure. His mind was filled with thoughts of how bad this war had gotten. Fallen colonies, comrades, and friends; was a mission like this worth it? Any further thoughts were cast aside as a subordinate appeared with an update.

"Sir, all material has finished being loaded onto the last evacuation shuttle."

"All material?" the chief asked not moving an inch.

"Yes sir. Including all the supply's, materials, and production prototypes from Fringe Division, including project Redwing."

"What do you know of the project?"

The subordinate spook began to look nervous. "Sir?"

"You're here, you have clearance. What do you know about project Red wing?"

"Well sir, in my personal and honest opinion is that it is the devils research. From what I've seen of the, as of yet, non-redacted files still available." He stammered to a stop then started again. "The human... ,volunteer, test subjects that we know of have all undergone a severe case of mental breakdown and psychosis after being exposed to the device. Several of them also exhibited strange abilities of a psionic nature. Over all it is a very disturbing subject sir."

"Yes it is, and if I had my way it and the whole Fringe Division would be erased. But a month ago, the high command was planning on reevaluating their view of using the Redwing device in the creation of the new Spartan 4 project." the subordinate looked thunder struck at this revelation. The commander continued, "However with the arrival of the Covenant and the fact that it has also been confirmed as one of their ancient holy relics, command has issued that it is to be moved to a more secure location. However if there is a risk of it falling into their hands, we have permission to destroy it.

"Understood sir," the minor spook then shifted his gaze elsewhere as he received a transmission from the SAT-com, "and if you follow me sir we'll make our way to the evac shuttle. The squadron sent to delay the Covenant ship has just been destroyed."

* * *

For the first time in his life Noble Six was not sure whether he should be considered the luckiest Spartan alive or cursed. One minute, He was buried underneath a pile of elites, the next, an evac shuttle flies over head so close to the ground that everyone's hit by a gust of wind from the hulls wake and blown away like a pile of leaves in a tornado.

After several miles of tumbling, narrowly avoiding a severe case of whiplash, and resetting a dislocated shoulder, again, Noble Six finally started looking for the shuttle. With what little he saw from the shuttles flight path, he knew there was no way it was staying airborne. After about an hour's worth of searching and picking up several dropped covenant weapons, a plasma pistol and gravity hammer, he eventually stumbled across the remains of the shuttle. The hull was largely intact, but the thing would never fly again. The bridge was gone, just a mass of melted metal around the shuttles bow. The ventral lift thrusters and left stabilizer wing were completely sheared off from the crash. On the plus side there wasn't any radiation or any other external signs of a reactor leak, so whatever's inside might still be safe to handle.

For the first time in a while Six believed things were looking up. 'If the transmitter was intact, he could make contact with Admiral Forester, and be able to get back in the fight.'

Once inside Six noticed that the ship was not what it appeared to be. What was a civilian transport shuttle on the outside was in fact a black ops cargo transport on the inside, and it was a mess. While the larger crates were secured to the deck, the smaller boxes had been sent bouncing around the hold during the crash, many were even cracked.

'Why I am I not surprised.' He thought 'This has ONI Section 3 written all over. But it's not a total loss; these kind of modified ships tend to have redundant systems put in. Now let's see where that...'

A sudden crash made Six jump back with a plasma pistol ready, and knocked over several more crates in the process. However it turned out to be nothing, just some of the boxes still settling after being knocked loose from the crash.

'Great,' Six thought to himself, 'the last thing I need is to give myself a heart attack while jumping at shadows.'

What Six didn't notice was that one of the crates he had knocked over had actually opened from the fall, letting a stone the size and shape of a soccer ball role out. A red symbol was etched onto it that would, at first glance, resemble a child's depiction of a pair of bird wings.

As Six continued searching for the com array, the ball silently rolled after him. Eventually he found an active terminal, but as soon as he touched it he sensed movement out of the corner of his eye. Six had his plasma pistol in his hand and ready to put a big ball of green into whatever thing tried to sneak up on him. Instead of the expected covenant soldier, six instead found himself staring at a floating ball of polished rock with a set of red v shaped wings printed on the front. It felt like looking at an eye ball with an angry unibrow. 'I must have hit my head harder than I thought.'

Then it spoke, in a calming artificial voice, "Reclaimer. I have need of you." and Noble Six's world was enveloped in an unearthly darkness.

* * *

At that moment up in Reach's orbit aboard the covenant CSS ship, Devine Rights.

"Ship master, we have lost contact with the holy relic."

The ship master was clearly not pleased with this Unggoy's news, "What Happened?!"

The ship master was an imposing figure, even by Sanghilie standards. So when he asked a question even a prophet would want to answer. "A slip space rupture was detected at the signal source on the planet's surface just before transmissions ceased, but that's impossible!"

The ship master knew better then to question how it happened. "Nothing is impossible to the gods and their creations. Did you detect anything from the signal that could give us a destination?"

"Yes, but the navigation system refuses to recognize the coordinates."

Slipspace is a tangle of intertwined spacial dimensions, comparably similar to a wadded up piece of paper, which lie underneath the three conventional spatial dimensions of the universe. But then what about parallel dimensions? Worlds and realities that exist alongside our own. Slipspace is part of the barrier that separates them, and Noble Six is about to see the other side.

55 B.C. / 0 Ascension Throne Britannia (a.t.b.)

* Julius Caesar attempts to invade Britain, but is met with strong resistance from the local tribes, who elect a super-leader: the Celtic King Eowyn, who summarily becomes the first member of the Britannian Imperial Family. The Julian Calendar (a.u.c. / ab urbe condita) is made ten years later and the Anno Domini Calendar 1,637 years later.

1760s - 70s A.D./ 1820s a.t.b.

* The American Revolution (also known as Washington's Rebellion) occurs. Benjamin Franklin, who was charged with appealing to Louis XVI for assistance in the American colonies' war for independence. Is bribed by the duke of Britannia with promises of titles and territories in the colonies.

* Thereafter, Benjamin Franklin is given the title of Earl. As a result, the Continental Army suffers a decisive defeat during the Siege of Yorktown with the death of George Washington, marking a severe blow to the American movement for independence.

1807 A.D./ 1862 a.t.b.

* Queen Elizabeth III retreats to Edinburgh, where a revolutionary militia arrests her and forces her to abdicate, ending the monarchy. This event becomes known as The Humiliation of Edinburgh. However, Sir Ricardo von Britannia, Duke of Britannia, and his friend and subordinate, Sir Richard Hector, Knight of One, bring Elizabeth III and her followers to the New World and establish a new capital on the east coast of North America. Though Britannian rebels and revolutionaries who have overthrown the monarchy still occupy the British Isles.

1813 A.D./ 1868 a.t.b.

* Elizabeth III nominates her lover, Sir Ricardo von Britannia, as her successor upon her death. She ends her reign for being "the Queen who loved throughout her stormy life". The Britannian calendar, Ascension Throne Britannia (a.t.b.), is established, with the origin year set to the ascendancy of the first Celtic king, though the calendar's months and days are adopted from the Gregorian Calendar.

1943 A.D./ 1998 a.t.b.

* The 97th Emperor of Britannia is overthrown, and Charles Zi Britannia ascends to the Britannian throne as the 98th emperor.

1955 A.D./ 2010 a.t.b

* After the Indochinese Peninsula was conquered by Britannia and named Area 10, Japan, which was originally neutral, decided to align its policy with Chinese Federation and EU's politics and apply economic pressure upon Britannia - an event referred to as the Oriental Incident. Both Chinese Federation and EU and their allies blockade the ports of Britannia, hoping to force negotiations.

1955 A.D./ August 10th, 2010 a.t.b

* The Second Pacific War erupts; the one-month war results in the conquering of Japan by Britannia. The end of the war signifies Japan as a formal colony of Britannia, renamed Area 11 and its citizens "Elevens".

August 8, 2017.

* Forever to be called the Shinjuku shutter, on that day a 6.0 earth quake struck the Tokyo settlement. Over ten condemned building promptly collapsed, most likely killing whatever stray elevens that happened to be taking refuge there. Hundreds of other structures were abandoned latter that same day, most from partial collapsing. The truly strange thing that made it amazing was that the quake was only felt within the Shinjuku area and there alone.

In the secret labs of prince Clovis, a girl with long green hair said these words as she was being prepared for transport. "Pray for mercy Britannia, for the Reclaimer has arrived, and he will show you none."

* * *

August 9, 2017

Noble Six's face felt like he had a make out session with a NA4 flamethrower, the rest of him felt like he'd taken another ride on the shuttles wake, and a crate of flash bangs were going off in his reinforced skull.

'Its official, the universe hates me.' he thought as he slowly picked himself off the floor. Noble Six knew that the last thing he saw was a slip space portal. After he stood up and the world decided to stand still under his feet, Six went back to the hatch to see where he was. All he saw was a wall of dirt and broken concrete. 'Where ever I am I must be underground.'

Six then began looking for the stone ball. After several hours of searching he couldn't even find a pebble.

"Stone or no stone I need to see if I can make contact with... Anyone." Six then returned to the terminal, making sure to keep an eye out for any other... weird stuff. However he had no sooner reached it before another artificial voice greeted him. "Morning Steven B312"

Noble Six actually hated being called by his first name. It was casual and casual was for civilians, not him. "Stow the pleasantries, identify."

The AI appeared on the terminal's small holo projector. It had the appearance of an old man in a white lab coat with white streams of code running in and out of his head like wild hair. The AI looked annoyed. "I am research and development assistance AI Phillips. Serial number BJS 2401-4."

"Should I be concerned as to why a research and development AI is running loose inside of an ONI section 3 cargo transports mainframe?"

"You could, but I believe we have more pressing issues at hand. Besides I'm not really sure how I'm online either. one min. I was being taken out of Sword Base's mainframe, the next I'm fighting to control the free fall of a shuttle craft with no bridge, all primary controls fried, and no place to land. This is not what I was designed for." the AI looked like it was on the verge of a mental break down.

"Ok-ok, can you reach anyone on the com or find our location?"

The avatars mood suddenly did a 180. "One moment soldier boy."

Then it pulled out an object that looked like a palm sized note pad and started to scribble. After several minutes the AI suddenly dropped the pad and pen with a look of utter shock on his face. "Stev- I mean Noble Six. I've got some rather 'Awkward' news..."

When the AI finished talking Noble Six was in a state of shock, everything was gone. He didn't believe it at first but an hour on his tack pad finally convinced him otherwise. The Covenant, Reach, the colonies, and even the UNSC: All of it was gone, like it never existed.

"What will you do now?" Noble Six remembered what Phillips told him about the new earth they were stranded on. How the American revolutionary war had failed and how Napoleon's conquests of England succeeded. Then after that how the British royal family moved to America, creating the holy Britannia Empire.

Six finally spoke. "Honestly I have no idea. The reason I became a Spartan 3 in the first place was to fight the Covenant. Trying... Hoping... That maybe I could... take something back." Six looked at his hands almost expecting to see what his fighting had earned him. All he saw was his black gloves. "But Now? The Covenant does not exist and neither does the UNSC, or anybody else I know for that matter. What can I do?"

Phillips may have been a smart AI, but he couldn't answer his question. "Listen, I've synced up the clocks and realized it's late, and you're still not at a hundred percent. Why don't you try to take a rest and we'll talk about more about this in the morning?"

"What are you my..." before Noble Six could utter another word he finally succumbed to the urge to vomit that he'd been pushing down since he stood up. Lucky for him he hadn't eaten anything in a while and had an empty stomach. "Fine." was all Six said as he found a bulkhead to lean back on, unaware of how his life was about to make a drastic change. For himself and the new world waiting above just over his head. In less than an hour he was fast asleep.

* * *

**Hello I am Spartan 416, this is to be my first publication. **

**I am new at this... There I said it! If its not obvious I'm a fan of Halo and proud of it. **

** Feel free to say what you want about it. I'm willing to post Q&amp;A, responses to coments, and a few reviews if I see any good ones.**

**PS. **

**In no way do I own the leagal rights to Code** **Geass ****or Halo Reach. The first is sunrise inc, the latter by bungi and 343 Industries. **


	2. Turn 1

"The date was August 12, 2010 of the Imperial Calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire had just declared war upon Japan. The far-east island nation had held fast to its neutrality, and now Britannia looms as the world's only superpower. Rights to Japan's underground resources became a hotly disputed issue, straining the already deep-rooted diplomatic tensions between the two sides. In the deciding battle for the mainland, Britannian forces introduced into combat the Humanoid Autonomous Armored Knight, known as the Knightmare Frame. The enemy's forces were far greater than anticipated and the Knightmares obliterated the Japanese line of defense with little effort. Japan became a dominion of the empire; the country and its people were stripped of its freedom, its rights and its name. Area 11: The defeated and once proud nation of Japan was rechristened with a mere number. Area 11."

"I swear... I swear Suzaku, so help me, I will one day... Obliterate Britannia!" - Lelouch Vi Britannia, former eleventh prince of the holy Britannian Empire speaking to his best friend Suzaku Kururugi, son of Japans Prime Minister.

* * *

Tokyo settlement august 10, 2017. Babble Tower, a place of gambling, greed and debauchery. Right now two teenage boys are leaving the lobby after beating a, rather pompous, noble in a game of chess. And took the fool for all he's worth. Both boys were wearing high school uniforms, black with gold trim. They were the uniforms of Ashford academy.

"I love playing against the nobility! When they lose they always pay outa pride." said blue haired boy. His name was Rivalz Cardemonde. Right now he was congratulating his friend Lelouch Lamperouge on the chess match he had just won. "By the way eight minutes 42 seconds is a new record."

"He also didn't have much time to move either," Lelouch replied. "And as opponents go the nobles are tepid, their just over privileged parasites that's all." Although he'd never say it, he knew more about the nobles than anyone. Seven years ago he was actually Lelouch Vi Britannia, the eleventh prince of the holy empire. A traumatic event and a childish outburst had cost him and his little sister their title. Almost any girl that took one look at him, would find him quite handsome, with his hair was a raven black and his eyes a light violet. It was one of his biggest pains, having fan girls.

"Well then, why don't you challenge one of the elevens? They're nothing like us Britannians..." eleven's, names the Japanese people were branded with. It was the same with every nation Britannia conquered. With any luck the Arab nation their government was currently attacking would become area 18 and its native people would become eighteens. Rivalz then paused as Lelouch's attention was diverted to a sudden news broadcast. Like everyone else they looked to one of the many public jumbo screens that lined the streets.

"Here's video footage of yesterday's terrorist bombings in Osaka. The secretary reported 59 casualties in this incidence. 8 Britannians and 51 others." A Female News Reporter announced. "We apologize for the delay his Royal Highness Prince Clovis third prince of Britain will address the nation."

The image shifted from a bombed building to a blond haired man in his mid-twenties, wearing a white cloak and purple coat underneath. "To all my imperial subjects, including of course the many cooperative Elevens who choose to serve the Empire of Britannia." his tone seemed sincere and somewhat saddened. The broadcast was played on all stations, even radio.

It was not well received by everyone however... "We're not elevens! We're Japanese." shouted a female passenger of a recently stolen military black ops semi-truck. Her black haired accomplice and driver Nagata seethed in silent agreement.

"Do you not see my pain? My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart! The remnants are filled with rage and sadness. However, as ruler of Area 11, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one! A virtuous battle, to protect the well-being of one and all." and with a sincere voice added, "Now then, everyone, I would like you to join me in observance of the eight who died for justice in the line of duty." Clovis la Britannia then bowed his head and places his hand over his heart.

"A moment of silence please." the unseen news caster asked.

"Well aren't you going to join in?" Rivalz asked as he got their ride ready to return to school, a blue and white RR1200 BMC motor bike equipped with a sidecar.

"Aren't you?" Lelouch asked back as he paid the parking fee for the bike.

"Heh, it's sort of embarrassing." He chuckled, leaning against his bike.

"I agree with you. Besides, spilling tears over those people won't bring them back to life, now will it?" Lelouch's remark carried more weight than he wanted.

"Dang, that's dark buddy." Rivalz didn't want to do it because he thought just standing like that was too awkward.

"It's all about self-satisfaction." He said as a far off look passed over his eyes. "It doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't do it. There's no way you can change the world."

* * *

At that same moment prince Clovis was removing one of the many emotional masks that he wears when addressing the public before a camera. "You were magnificent your highness." a blond woman in a revealing red dress said, complementing the prince's performance.

The party itself was being held in the ball room of the viceroy's palace. Far from where the public thought he was. "One would never guess you were attending a party while doing that." said a brunet in an even more revealing teal dress added.

Both women were actually little more than escorts, but with the money Clovis paid; it didn't hurt to stroke his ego.

"After all the viceroy is the marquis actor of area eleven, I need to change costumes quickly." Clovis said accepting the praise. If it was one thing the third prince liked, it was having his ego stroked.

"My, you're so self-confident."

"It's all in the performance. Since the media need a charismatic prince I give them one." Clovis said looking to the camera crew.

"Untrue, prince Clovis." The news chief said. "Our key purpose in life is to assist your reign in any way we can."

Dietard was the only one there not basking in the prince's self-induced glory. In fact he was almost repulsed by it. "His reign is a pathetic sham." he muttered under his breath. When he first started his career in the media he had hoped to have the chance to cover something truly significant. Then a military general suddenly passes by "huh, a soldier."

"Gad, how boorish of you." the prince was clearly annoyed at this interruption. The soldier in question was a bald and portly general by the name of Bartley Asupuriusu, Clovis' advisor, confidant, and friend.

"I beg your pardon your highness. My lord..." The general's arrival had aroused Dietard Curiosity but since it was only one of the prince's high-ranking officers.

It probably had nothing to do with the media. He turned to leave complaining quietly to himself. "Not another appearance for him. Hope it's not as dreary as-"

"You Fool!"

"Huh?" Dietard Curiosity suddenly tugged a little more strongly, making him turn back. Royal out bursts, like the one from the prince, where the military's concerned usually meant something big did or is going to happen. An if the high volume was any indication, it was very big.

"The police were informed it was medical equipment. That's all. If we scramble the royal army now there will be..."

"Deploy the royal Guard!" Clovis interrupted, not caring for his underlings warning. "The Knightmares as well." The third prince almost never got upset, not like this. Of all the royal family he tended to be the most laid back. However he had a look that could kill a full grown grizzly.

Whatever had the prince in this mood could not be good. For both him, and the culprit of whatever crime had been committed.

* * *

Knightmares, a machine that changed the battle field. First introduced during Britannia's invasion of Japan which, according to the history books, resulted in a crush victory. A Knightmare in essence is a humanoid robot; the cockpit is located in a backpack like hump behind the head and shoulders. They come in many designs but tend to share the same size four to five meters tall. Many high ranking nobles, knights, and officers would have theirs customized.

Down in the hanger people and pilots were scrambling like ants after someone had kicked the hill. The first units out the gate were of the pure bloods faction, their machines marked with red shoulder pardons to show their loyalty to their cause. The pure bloods are a faction of the Britannian military that has the strict belief that allowing honorary titles to the numbered citizens, or numbers, to be a mistake. The founder and leader of this faction, margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, believed this with an almost religious drive, ever since the assignation that transpired at his first post.

* * *

Sometimes the drive, no matter how short the distance, can feel like an eternity, especially when it's quiet. That's how Rivalz felt when he asks Lelouch the question. "That first move you made."

"Hm?"

"Why'd you start with the king?" Rivalz said, trying to be more specific.

"If the king doesn't lead how does he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch responded.

"What's with that?"

"With what?" Lelouch finally gave his friend his full attention since he realized he said something too cryptic, again.

"Do you fantasize about running a major corporation?" Rivalz asked trying to get a better picture. After all he'd known Lelouch since the beginning of high school. This was the first time he heard him say something like that.

"No way," Lelouch let out a small chuckle, "ambitions like that will ruin your health..." However both were thrown from their train of thought as the wailing cry from a truck's horn alerted them to a heavy semi barreling down the road behind them, and just second away from crushing them under its wheels.

Rivalz did the first thing any kid would do, panic. "Aaaah! We're Goanna Die!" he shouted and swerved out of the behemoths path.

* * *

"You idiot watch where you're going!" Nagata growled out as he quickly turned the wheel to swerve the truck out of the way.

"No! Not that way!" The red head yelled, but it was too late. In his attempt to avoid squashing the motorbike, Nagata's sudden turn had caused the vehicle to pull onto an off-ramp that led straight into a construction site. Unable to stop in time the vehicle smashed head long into the unfinished structure.

* * *

"Eh, was that our fault?" Rivals asked looking at the large dust cloud kicked up by the crash.

"No I don't think so, huh?" something caught Lelouch's eye, a strange flicker of light.

At the viceroy's palace, general Bartley's stress was starting to give him an ulcer. 'We have to retrieve it at all costs.' he thought as he made his way to the vehicle hanger. 'That thing... in the wrong hands would spell doom for us all.'

"Aw man this sucks," Rivalz moaned. After nearly getting crushed, the bike had suddenly stalled. Rivalz's outburst meant he just found out why. "Looks like the power line on the bike got cut."

"Yea..." Lelouch said, as he was more focused on the crashed truck, and a brief light show that looked like a flock of butterflies fluttering over its trailer. "Hey, Rivalz come check this out." Then the rubber-neckers started crawling out of the wood work. They were just bystanders with comments and concerns, but too enamored with the spectacle or lazy to do anything about it. 'All those idiots.' Lelouch thought in disgust before making his way down to the crash to try and help. While Lelouch wasn't the one to publicly show incentive, watching people just stand around during a situation like this was sickening to him.

"Wait!" Rivalz shouted but Lelouch just continued on. As he made his way to the truck the spectators just continued to gawk at the crash.

"Hey! Are you alright?"

No answer, the doors to the cab was blocked by several fallen steel beam. Looking around for another way to reach them Lelouch found a ladder built into the side of the trailer. 'Maybe I can reach them from the trailer.' he thought before he began to climbing up.

Inside the crashed semi, the young girl in the passenger seat was the first to recover from the air bags deployment. "Nagata? Nagata! You okay?" she asked getting more worried at his continued silence.

A light groan told her he was still alive and a quick, "I'm fine." Meant he could still drive.

"Can you hear me? Are you ok?" Lelouch yelled, looking for signs of life.

Then out of nowhere a woman's voice called out. "It's you. Finally I found my..." the voice faded away before it could finish.

"Huh but where?" those words were less heard and more like felt, inside his head. The trailer lurched as the semi-truck went into reverse and the school boy was thrown from his perch into the belly of the steel box. "Stop I'm in here!" Lelouch shouted, but no one could hear him.

"So would you call that a hit and run?" Rivalz asked out loud, not realizing his friend had fallen in.

"You'd think they'd stick a ladder on the inside too." Lelouch muttered as he began looking for a way out.

Lelouch quickly stopped when he heard a voice on a bullhorn from the outside shout. "Stop the vehicle!" it soon became clear that the situation was more trouble than he had originally thought. "Stop and surrender at once!" the lead gunship pilot shouted over its external speakers. "Give up now or we'll shoot to kill!" the VTOL immediately let off a spray of bullets as its last attempt to shoot out its tires.

"Now what do we do, that's the army!" Nagata asked. There was only so much he could do behind the wheel.

"Have you forgotten that's what I am here for." the passenger responded and took off her hat. Revealing a young girl with red hair, combed so it would slightly spike out to the sides. "Can you enter the subway via the Azabu route?" she shouted back. The red head then pass by Lelouch, who had hidden himself behind the capsule just in time.

"Kallen let's use it here why not?" Nagata shouted.

"Because that would mean a blood bath!" the red head shouted back.

"Your right." he said, sorry that he asked.

'I've seen her before.' Lelouch thought as he watched her go. Somewhere deep in his memories he knew he'd seen her.

Back on the highway Rivalz had finally noticed something was off. "Lelouch! Come-on where are you! We've gotta get to school!" however he was long gone. This was too bad to, because Rivalz would be spending the next half hour looking for him. 'Shirley's going to kill me!' he thought as he continued to squash the idea of leaving without him.

* * *

"Suspect is moving from the settlement towards the ghettos."

"Copy that, corner them." the gunship commander said just before closing in for the kill shot.

Suddenly the lead VTOL gunship was struck by a cable guided projectile and exploded. "A slash harken?" the second pilot said in shock. There were very few machines that had those weapons. The cable was suddenly retracted, bringing the weapon back to the end of the trailer which opened up to reveal. "A Knightmare!" the second VTOL's pilot exclaimed, as the red machine jumped from the back of the trailer. It was a Glasgow, the first mass production Knightmare frame. Now it was obsolete, the only possible reason a terrorist could have it.

"Crap! These guys are real terrorists!" Lelouch shouted as the back of the trailer closed before he could jump out. Then cursed himself for thinking that. If he had jumped out he really would have broken his neck.

"You fellas know full well what this bad ass mother can do" the Kallen shouted and proceeded to dodge the incoming fire from the VTOLs. Then fired her slash harken again at her next target.

Another gunship exploded as a different aircraft, a Knightmare VTOL, suddenly joined the fight. "The rest of you back off, I'll take this Guy." the newcomer announced, the leader of the pure bloods faction, Jeremiah Gottwald, margrave of area eleven. The plane flew above Kallen's red knightmare to reveal its hollow center, which was filled by another Knightmare. The Sutherland, the next model that replaced the aging Glasgow. Both designs were structurally identical with one major difference. Unlike its predecessor the Sutherland's head boar a facial design. However under the hood, it had far superior performance. "I can only assume you dug that obsolete relic out of some scrap heap" the newcomer said, while his Knightmare detached from the VTOL , twisting around in the air to deflect a harken Kallen had launched, until it landed onto the ground "An over the hill Glasgow is no match for a Sutherland! Not to mention a filthy eleven who spurns the compassion of our glorious emperor." The Sutherland fired off a shot from it grenade launcher. The terrorist pilot just barely blocked the blast with the Glasgow's left arm. Rendering the limb useless.

"Kallen we should both split up!" Nagata said over the radio. "Both of us can't risk being killed, run for it!"

"But-" she tried to protest, but it was all for naught. A second pure blood controlled Knightmare jumped up onto the highway by using its land spinners to scale the walls between two buildings. With a single vault it landed right in front of the truck, and unleashed a hail of bullets at the driver.

"Simple minded eleven." the female pilot smiled, the pilots name was Villetta Nu. She was a Britannian of 26 years, dark skin and silver hair of waist length. Her hair at the moment had been put into a braid to keep it from obscuring her vision.

Back aboard the terrorist's Glasgow Kallen's luck was starting to run out as one of her slash harkens jammed. "No way, its stuck!" she panicked.

"Second hand junk!" Jeremiah shouted before deploying his Sutherlands wrist mounted stun tonfa to smash her malfunctioning machine to pieces. However before the killing blow could hit, Kallen ejected the Glasgow's damaged limb in a cloud of white smoke and took off into the ghettos of Shinjuku. "I'll admit I really like your spirit, however..." he said to himself before proceeding to chase after her. A sinister smile plastered to his face.

Lelouch's luck seemed to be taking a turn for the worst as well. Somehow the semi-truck had avoided capture by the second Sutherland and slipped away before any others could arrive. "No cellphone reception, we're out of range." Lelouch muttered to himself. He needed to get out. "Judging from the darkness and road surface we must be driving along the old subway lines. They must be headed for an exit somewhere in the ghettos. Getting caught will be dangerous, but still..." he began weighing his options "Ok I've got it. I'm not big on the military but I'll take their protection. If I give them a terrorist communicator then, oh wait I forgot." Lelouch then remembered why he wasn't big on the military. He and his sister were still targets of the other nobles, if he was found he could just as easily have an accident shortly after.

* * *

Back at the viceroy's palace, Things were finally starting to move, and people took notice. Once person in particular caught general Bartley off guard.

"Ah ha!"

"What are you doing?" general Bartley asked Major Lloyd Asplund. Who continued to stare at him with an awkward intensity, like he was a specimen in a jar.

A thin gentleman with silver hair buttoned up military lab coat, and glasses. Who was looking at him and a creepy smile that would not go away. "Looking at a man who blundered, am I right?" a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Why you!" the general did not take well to criticism. Even from this man.

"You really screwed that one up. Terrorists came and stole whatever it was you and prince Clovis were secretly working on. Retrieving it is simple but you want to sweep up all of their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go and you can find their hideout too. Congratulations your reasoning was spot on." Lloyd shouted happily as he turned to a woman standing behind him with short blue hair in a tan uniform. His assistant Cécile Croomy.

"Ah, it was nothing I just thought it was strange." she said in response. The woman's voice and actions were so soft that for a moment Bartley thought she was whispering.

"Ok that's enough, what is it the special core wants out of this?" Bartley demanded, his patience finally run out. Lloyd's grin seemed to widen.

"I'm merely saying I'd like to assist in the clean-up." It was a sincerely happy face, yet it seemed like was better found on a man ready to sell his soul. This man's smile was beginning to really creep Bartley out. "To assist?" This man seemed determined to confuse the general to no end.

"Correct, because it's data I want." There it was, the thing he'd sell his soul for.

"Excuse me?" Ms. Croomy interrupted. "But what in the world have they just stolen anyway?"

Bartley thought hard before answering. These people answered to the second prince, not the third prince, Clovis. The wrong words could easily find their way to the greatest tactical mind of the empire, Schneizel el Britannia. "Chemical weapons, In other words poison gas." he said. At least this cover would discourage too many unwanted questions.

* * *

At that moment several large VITOL troop planes took formation over the Shinjuku ghetto where the truck had disappeared inside of. Soon dozens of soldiers began repelling into the streets. "The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. Your mission is to locate the weapon they have stolen. You may carry the tittle of honorary Britannian, but you were born elevens, so the stench of these monkeys should be a familiar one. Recovery of the target will be handled by us, the royal guard. Is that under stood?"

"Yes my lord!" the soldiers replied in unison.

Nagata knew his time was quickly coming to an end. He may have turned the semi-truck in time to avoid a head on collision with that Sutherland, but the shots it fired hadn't missed hitting him. While he had been lucky that the truck was hit with only anti infantry rounds, his left arm was now useless and a continuous flow of blood was coming out of the hole in his brachial artery. Right now all he could do was keep the truck going straight in the old subway tunnel that his resistance friend's had planned on using to secretly transport the poison gas they had stolen. However Nagata's bleeding had dulled his awareness and caused him to drive into a hole in the tunnel floor, stranding him. He gunned the motor, several times, but to no avail. 'Looks like I'll need some help,' Nagata collapsing on his side. "Oghi find me." then flipped a switch under the dash board. As he lay there, his conscious mind flickering like a dying candle, Nagata racked his brain. He'd driven down this former subway tunnel dozens of times. Not once did he remember a hole in the floor.

The switch he wanted was supposed to activate a tracking device, but instead the one he pressed caused the trailers side door to open. This gave Lelouch Lamprough the opportunity he needed to get to safety. It also got the Attention of an Honorary Britannian soldier. "Four- zero-four, I've found the terrorists' trailer and gas capsule." The honorary Britannian private reported.

"Roger. Prepare for recovery."

The private would have if he hadn't spotted someone walking around inside trailer as the gas canister began to open. "Stop! You'll be sprayed with poison gas! He shouted as he rushed forward, ripping off his own gas mask and pressing it over Lelouch's face. However instead of poison, the dome like capsule split open like a flower. Revealing a small female figure with long green hair to be inside it.

"A girl?" Lelouch said, shocked at this sudden development. The girl's slender frame was bound in a white prison straight jacket, normally reserved for either the most dangerous or unstable of criminals. As they both got back up the soldier chose this moment to try and reassert his meager authority.

"Don't move terrorist!" the soldier said as he tried to match the facts he was told with the situation. "Isn't this poisonous gas? Whatever it is, stop the killing!"

Lelouch had enough of this jarheads accusations and questions. He had eyes didn't he? "Does this look like gas to you? Stop the killing? You Britannian forces are ones to talk!"

"I'm fighting to protect people."

"You're fighting the wrong group! You should be crushing Britannia!" Lelouch words had not lost any of its venom from ten years ago.

"My god." Sudden recognition struck the soldier like a slap to the face. How could he not have recognized him before now? "Lelouch it's me, Suzaku." the private took his helmet off to reveal a seventeen year old Japanese boy with brown hair and green eyes.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch stood there in shocked silence. When he and his sister were disowned they were sent to Japan. The prime minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi, took them in as political hostages. During their stay they developed a friendship with his son Suzaku Kururugi. When the war ended, they were forced to go their separate ways.

Right now Lelouch was just shocked, his childhood friend working for the people that ruined his own home country. "Why did you become a Britannian soldier?"

"And why did you become a terrorist?" Suzaku asked back.

"No, I'm not a terrorist!" However he wouldn't have a chance to explain himself as the royal guard finally arrived.

"Stinking monkey." the commander said in disgust at the sight of them.

Down below their feet, a force of great power stirred. Noble Six was up.

* * *

In another tunnel, Kallen breathed a sigh of relief. She'd finally lost that pure blood bastard and found a safe place underground to contact her friend's. "Ohgi, are you there? Come in."

"Kallen!" a relieved friend and terrorist leader shouted. "It's good to know you're ok. Where's your radio?"

"I don't know. In all of the confusion, I must have left it in my coat." She was just happy to be talking with a familiar voice.

"It's okay," Ohgi replied, he was happy to know the little sister of his late friend and former cell leader was alright. "The Glasgow circuitry is useable. So were we right?"

"I think so" she responded taking a more serious tone, while resting from the chase. "I bet its poison gas like intelligence said."

"And Nagata?"

"Unknown." she replied. Kallen was a little concerned about him not reporting in yet, but she had faith. "I think he made it underground"

* * *

Lelouch was a thinker and he prided himself at that. However all that pride was gone as all he could think about was how bad the situation was, and continuing to grow, as Suzaku stood before the captain of prince Clovis's royal guard.

"Suzaku, in light of your outstanding service to the throne we will overlook this insubordination, but first execute the terrorist." the commander handed the boy a pistol.

"What!?"Lelouch said just before Suzaku refused to take the weapon.

"No, you're wrong. He's just a civilian!" Suzaku tried to explain. However the captain did not care about what was true.

"It doesn't matter. He 'was' a terrorist. You cannot follow my orders, private Kururugi?"

"I can't. I won't kill an innocent civilian." Suzaku said as he looked his friend in the eye. Meaning every word of what he said. He even managed to smile, as if to assure his friend everything was going to work out.

"I see. Very well then." the captain then put the pistol to Suzaku's back and fired, point blank. There was no regret or remorse on the captain's face. In fact he seemed to have rather enjoyed it.

"You shot him!" Lelouch shouted as he watched his old friend fall to the ground.

The conversation did not go entirely unnoticed. With the last of his strength, Nagata armed the trucks self-destruct. "Death to Britannia... Long live... Japan." he said as his bloody finger pressed the red button, detonating the seven pounds of cheap explosives hidden under his chair. The truck's cab practically disintegrated. The rest of the blast was focused upward into the ceiling. However it kicked up enough smoke and fire to cover Lelouch as he picked up the girl and made a run for it. The other soldiers pulled out the way they came for fear of a cave-in. The result didn't go over well at the G1 mobile base.

"They got away?" general Bartley roared. "And you call your selves the royal guard!"

"Forgive me my lord. The blast was mainly directed upwards-"

"Why the hell do you think I only told you people about this!" Bartley shouted into the mic, he was in no mood for excuses. Not from them, not now.

"We'll continue the investigation." the captain said before cutting the transmission.

Clovis was deep in thought, something he rarely did if he could help it. Things were turning south and fast. "The plan has moved forward to the next phase." he said. Which was rather disappointing.

"But your highness..." Bartley knew what was coming next but wasn't proud of it.

"If knowledge gets out about her I'll be disinherited. Tell them back home that we're carrying out a planned urban renewal out here. As Clovis third prince of the empire I command you, Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!" At his words all available Knightmares, armored attack vehicle, and foot soldier there mobilized to carry out the prince viceroy's orders.

As to his orders, no one was spared. From Lame beggars on the street, elderly couples in their homes, children walking with their families. Everyone was fair game.

* * *

"The enemy is garbage, wipe them all out!"

"Naturally" Jeremiah said. Having lost sight of the red Glasgow a while ago he spent the time since then venting his frustration on whatever he could find. Now there was an endless supply.

A transmission then came from the G1. "Supervisor Jeremiah, General Bartley requests that you take command of-"

"Bartley has staff officers." Jeremiah interrupted. "I haven't had this much fun on the front lines in ages." Jeremiah then let loose with a volley of fire at the nearest eleven he could find.

Down in the tunnels Lelouch was running for his life with the strange girl in his arms. Then an explosion from above shook him to the ground. As he got up he looked at the girl he had been carried. "What the hell are you?!" Lelouch shouted. He was scared, his whole world was in chaos, and he needed answers. "Because of you... They even killed Suzaku..." For a brief moment he considered just leaving her there and continue running. However that thought was tossed aside so quickly he almost forgot he thought of it. Lelouch then proceeded to loosen and unbuckle the restraints that held her until she could move on her own. "Can you walk?" Even though the gag was undone she said nothing, but gave a simple nod for yes.

* * *

Back at the G1 mobile base, the leaders of the ASEECS were in for some bad news.

"Not there?" Lloyd said, surprised the person they asked for had not come when called.

"It looks like he's gone to the front line." Ms. Cécile said. She was just as disappointed as Lloyd. Although she did a better job of controlling it.

"Even though we brought the Lancelot here?" Lloyd seemed to sound like the mere mention of the ASEECS project should draw a crowd.

"Now what'll we do?" Cécile asked.

The man was at a loss. In his hand was the key to his latest creation and both were completely useless. "We steam rolled our way in here, but we don't even have a devicer to use it."

* * *

After running blindly through god knows how many tunnel Lelouch and the girl from the capsule made their way to the top of a set of stairs. The stairs lead up to an empty storage warehouse. "Stay quiet, and wait here." Lelouch said just before sticking his head above ground to scout the area. He then quickly ducked back down at the sound of machine fire, and the thud of a fresh corps.

"Report." the captain said as he entered the crumbling structure.

"We found only elevens here sir."

"You're sure of it? That exit comes out here?"

"Yes sir it matches our map of the old city."

Lelouch continued to listen until a child suddenly cried out, then was silenced by more gunfire. 'Monster.' he was ready to go back down into the tunnels, but his luck chose to betray him as his cell phone rang. The caller ID read Shirley, and she couldn't have picked a worse moment to call.

The royal guards were on them in seconds. They had no problems with roughing the kid up before finishing him off. "What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end." the captain of the royal guard said as Lelouch was thrown against the wall.

"You scum." Lelouch growled out as he leaned against the metal wall for support, and somewhere in the back of his mind, wished he could pass right through it.

"Still you did well for a student, but that's to be expected, you're a Britannian." the captain tried to sound regret-full but failed. "Unfortunately my clever young friend, you picked a bad day to cut class." the captain pointed the pistol he had used to kill Suzaku at the teens head. Then proceeded to shoot him point blank.

Then suddenly the green haired girl suddenly broke free of the men holding her back and dived between Lelouch and the bullet. "He mustn't die!" she shouted just before the slug impacted with her head.

"You shot her!" Lelouch shouted as her lifeless body tumbled to the ground.

"Well now what a shame. Our orders were to bring her in alive, if possible. Oh well nothing can be done about it now" The commander of the royal guard drawled, smirking down at the teen, his gun aimed right at Lelouch's face, unaware that he was preparing to kill the 11th heir to the throne of Britannia. "We burst into the terrorist hideout, only to find that the female hostage had already been tortured to death… what do you think, Schoolboy?"

He barely heard him as said school boy's mind was running a mile a minute trying to find a way out. Only to finally realize this was it, the end for him. That was until the dead girl suddenly grabbed him by the wrist "You don't want it to end here, do you?" her voice echoing in Lelouch's mind. "What?" he said as the world around him disappeared, replaced with flashes of color and unfamiliar images.

"You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal. In exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions: While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"

For a moment Lelouch's mind was in a different kind of turmoil. A contract? Power? What could this mean? Then it hit him, this was his way out. "Yes I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" With those words the feeling of something powerful clicked on in his head. Like giant gears finally clicking together. Then he was back in the world of the living. Only a moment had passed, yet the young boy's mined was changed. He could feel it.

Now it was time to find out how.

"Say... How should a Britannian who detests his country live his life?" Lelouch said as he stood up, a hand over his left eye. This also felt different somehow. There was a burning sensation, not like a fire or irritation, but power.

"Are you some sort of radical?"

"What's wrong? Why don't you shoot? Your opponent is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized? The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." he then lowered his hand, revealing a v shaped symbol had appeared on his eye.

"What's happening here?"

"I, Lelouch Vi Britannia command you. Now all of you... die!"

Every soldier in the room paused. Then the commander started to laugh. "Heh heh, happily your highness." the captain put the muzzle of his pistol under his chin along with the rest of the guardsmen. "Fire!"

That was the turning point; since that day, he would live a lie. The lie of living. His name, too, a lie. His personal history: a lie. Nothing but lies. Sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in his lies, He would refused to give up in despair. Or so he would believe at the time.

"Well then." Lelouch Lamperouge the eleventh prince of Britannia, disowned by his father and sent to Japan months prior to its invasion as political hostages, then left for dead when the war ended, said as the rush of his new power took hold. "What's next?"

* * *

Noble Six had woken up several hours ago, fully recovered from his sickness and hungry enough to take a bite out of a brute, literally. He had spent the time raiding what was left of the personal effects of the shuttles former crew, looking for anything edible. Six had gone a whole day without consuming anything, and all his emergency rations had already been eaten. All he was able to find were a handful of ration bars and a couple of stale snack cakes, it wasn't much but it would keep him going. Right now he was back to deciding what to do. Then he heard a loud rumbling right over head. That's when Six was reminded of Phillips presence. "Alert! Large explosion detected above fuselage!"

"From where?" Six asked.

"Unknown. But the blast has cleared the overhead crew hatch of any obstructions." the smile that graced Noble six's face created a look that screamed interested. Phillips, however, was more than a little concerned. "Now listen if you're planning on doing what I think you're going to do, and I'm not entirely against it. I would at least advise that you look into a few specific crates before venturing to the surface."

The terminal then ejected one of its panels. It was an Inventory scanner and tracker. Six picked it up and noticed there was a window on one side and when he held it over one of the boxes it showed him a brief detail of what's inside it. Each box and crate in the ship had no labels or any form of identifying marking, but there is a microchip in each case that could only be read or tracked with a special device.

"The codes for the containers are 1464-CLOC, 4213-HELM, and 2246- KATAN."

Noble six then put the codes in the device. The first box was only a couple yards away. The other two were on the level above him. After navigating through several upturned crates and other overturned boxes of various sizes Noble Six open the first crate and found a new helmet inside. It was a Mjollnir mark five scout model with a black visor, remote sensor package with hardened uplink, plus something extra.

"What's this?" Noble Six pointed to a device attached to the port normally used for the command network module.

Phillips voice could barely be heard from the terminal but Six was able to catch. "...put it on... Find out"

The second it connected up to his cybernetic uplink he felt like someone had just dumped a cup of cooled mercury into his head. "What the hell!" the feeling wasn't all that unpleasant. However that didn't make it wanted. Phillips then contacted him via the helmets com.

"That weird feeling you've got in your head is the dumb AI that's integrated with the electronics scanner attached to your helmet, it's interfacing with your cybernetic implant."

"What for?" six didn't like the idea of something running around in his head.

"The purpose of the electronic scanner is to determine what your enemy is using, what it's made of, and how it works. The AI, which is programed with enough technical know-how to open a university, is supposed to explain it to you and try to find any weaknesses. That unite was slated to be put into mass production for ONI in six months."

"Am I going to have to worry about it using my head for storage space or..." Phillips could see where Noble Six was going.

"The feeling in your head is only a side effect of the dumb AI's presence. It's actually stored in your armor's crystal weave and two core processor chips."

Six was satisfied with that answer and decided to find the other cases. When he reached the stairs a question suddenly popped into his head. "Are there any more of you research AIs lingering around the ship by any chance?"

Six then heard Phillips say no, and mutter something incoherent that ended with the words "Blasted budget cuts."

The next level looked like someone had flipped a truck packed with bricks. Every single box had been knocked loose and thrown across the room. The boxes Six was looking for was buried under one of the larger piles. About halfway through the mound Six stumbled across several crates with interesting labels and set them aside for a later date. When he opened the first box he was looking for inside was a giant coat and hood that could be worn over his armor. "What's this thing for?"

"That's the new urban ghillie suit. It works like your active camouflage power up, but it also masks your thermal signature and can be used to hide things the power up can't. It's also bullet proof."

Six gave the thing a once over, in the past ghillie suits used to be a net or cloth garment covered in loose strips of cloth or twine, of course it was originally designed to be used in forests or other areas of heavy plant growth. This suit was basically a camouflage cloak remade into a coat, in its off mode the material mostly resembles black canvas. Also according to the microchip, the standby mode had several default colors; however he decided to leave it at black. After putting it on Noble Six felt that the coat made him look a little ridiculous. He then opened up the next box. Inside was a katana complete with Guard and red cloth binding on the handle. Noble six thought about taking the katana, but the idea seemed more ridiculous then the coat. Besides swords weren't a part of his regular training so he left it there.

"Very well," Phillips said, "but if... When, you get back. You might want to take another look at that."

The armory was the next stop. It was conveniently located on the third and top level on the ship. Six had found it while searching for food earlier and had also discovered two very big surprises. An F-99 wombat equipped with a heavy ordinance payload, the cryo bomb. "Remind me, I thought cryo bombs were banned because of too many cases of extreme freezer burn among Allied forces. Also causing any and all airborne craft caught in the blast to fall out of the sky?" said Noble Six, as he walked past the angular craft.

"They were," Phillips explained, "Until a better model could be produced. This new design has a settable blast radius of a quarter mile minimum, and the stasis effect doesn't dissipate near the effective zones edge. We also cleaned up the hypothermia Issue as well. Anyone caught in its blast will have no idea what that they were frozen for five hours."

"I see." Noble Six then came to the second large item, or more accurately the one and a half parts of the second large item. According to the data pad it was a unmanned assault vehicle. Its overall design made it resemble a shrunken cobra. A six wheeled remote drone vehicle with an interchangeable turret. One equipped with two AIE-486h heavy machine guns and one M68 gauss cannon right between them. Next to it was its anti-air counterpart equipped with twin LAU-65D missile pods. Both units had stayed in place because they were secured so tightly to the bulkheads that anymore, and they would have been fused to the hull.

The armory it's self was limited in its conventional weapon selection, but it had enough ammo for them to fill every crater on the moon. There were also replacement parts for his armor and several prototype weapons as well as...

"Why are there brute weapons here?" Six asked as he picked up a spiker. He wasn't complaining, it was just unexpected.

"The plasma weapons of the covenant are still largely a mystery. However the brute's weapons seem to take a step back in the area of advanced tech. While they still run on batteries they shoot solid projectiles. Those can be studied, reverse-engineered, and replicated. The spiker is one such weapon we've just figured out."

Noble six attached the spiker to the mag plate on his hip. Then took a Spartan laser off the rack and snapped it onto the magnetic plate on his back. Finally he grabbed a shot gun but instead of just the standard 8 gauge shells he picked up several handfuls of the rare explosive rounds and enough solid slugs for one full mag.

The dorsal crew hatch was on the same level as the armoire but was next to the bridge. As Six approached the ladder he saw the warped metal of the door to the bridge. According to Phillips there were sixteen bodies behind there. Whatever was left of the corpses had more than likely been burned to a crisp. The personal effects he had rifled through earlier were in a set of lockers on the first level. Before going up the ladder, Six placed several photos that he had found in those items at the foot of the door.

'Rest in peace, for your fight is over.' he thought before ascending the ladder. Once at the top of the ladder Six saw that the hatch had been slightly warped as well. But with one good punch, he knocked it clear off its hinges and was free to explore the world above.

"Out of the pit of hell I climb, teeth sharp and drooling slime. Those above will know not where I'm from. Look out world, Because Here I Come!"

"A little dark there Noble Six" The Spartan let out a light chuckle before responding.

"Maybe, but I guess you never heard the name the covenant gave us Spartans? They call us demons!" to himself he silently added. 'And sometimes, you need to act like one too.'

* * *

**Okay, at first I was a little worried at what people would say or ask. Then I was worried by a lack of inquires, but now I realize that I'm a little premature in my concerns. That was only just the prologue, of my first story, and its only been a week since I started. So again: ask any question, what do you expect to happen, what would you want happen, fans or flames I will read them all and even post the ones I like. That includes the flames. Plus this story will be a long one so there are some parts up in the air for future development.* *PS. Also please note this is my first story so if my writing is off at times I'm still trying to get a feel for it**

**update: with some help I've finally corrected some of the errors in my writing.**


	3. Turn 2

**I honestly have no ownership over code geass, or halo reach in any way outside of my own head. Which is where this story came from. I also want this to be the last time I have to say it. But I guess it probably won't.**

* * *

Turn 2

The Murphy Philosophy:

Smile . . . tomorrow will be worse.

* * *

The first thing Noble Six saw when he crawled out of the ground was the remains of a semi-truck's cab and the back half of its trailer. The scanner in his helmet immediately went to work digitally dissecting and reconstructing the wreck till a rough three dimensional replica was placed in the upper left of his HUD. Six noticed how the readout mentioned the presence of an 'unknown element' in its engine.

'Why do those words make me uneasy?'

He then put those thoughts out of his mind as Phillips voice chirped over the radio. "Listen up Noble Six! You're going to be out of communications range when you get above ground. So before you get up there I've got an info patch for your ATLAS, it's a detailed map containing your current location and most of the surrounding country side."

"These helmets got an Assisted Tactical Assault System. I've been filling out requisition forms for over a year, and all it takes is the whole universe turning inside out to finally get one? Figures."

"Yup. I will warn you though, the download's gonna feel... weird."

Six suddenly felt like his brain had been dunked in a bucket of ice water again; luckily the experience excluded the brain freeze.

"I had to run it through the dumb AI to get it to you, sorry." the smart AI apologized.

"It's irrelevant at this point," Six said shaking his head till the sensation cleared. "But what did you mean by losing communication?"

"I was only able to get the information earlier because I was able to just barely access what stands for an Internet in this world by bouncing a signal off of several orbiting satellites. But it's all so under developed, even by the standards of the same era in our own world's timeline. So any other form of communication other than short wave radio cannot be achieved at this point. It's all just too Damn Primitive!"

Six then noticed a body lying a couple yards away. It was wearing what seemed to be a uniform of some kind, but the body's size was slightly off.

'What the?' Noble six thought, as he realized it was a kid. The boy looked to be about seventeen at least, judging from his height.

Six also noticed a bullet hole in the lower back of the Kevlar jacket. There were only two ways that he could have been shot there. Either someone snuck up behind him or it was someone he knew that shot him.

A lack of blood meant the shot probably hadn't killed him. The sensors in his helmet pointed out that the bullet had gone through the, poor grade, Kevlar only to be stopped by a pocket watch. The kid would live but he'd still need some medical attention.

Six picked him up and placed him over his shoulder. Then just before he started for some nearby stairs he picked out several objects in the trailer.

According to his scanner, there was a large pressurized storage capsule, nothing special. Next a low grade gasmask, pitiful excuse for one at that. The last one was a helmet, that got his full attention, or more accurately the device attached to the front of it. It was a primitive HUD. Complete with thermal, night vision, auto zoom, transceiver, and motion tracking. However, his true focus lay in a small square device at its center. The black box, but the second he retreated it he realized it was incompatible with his own systems.

Six then chucked both the helmet and data chip down the hole and into the ship. He then resumed he's treck to the surface with the young soldier.

Noble Six had just reached the streets when he heard an order over an open Chanel.

"By royal decree of Viceroy Prince Clovis. Eliminate all residence of the Shinjuku district! Leave no one alive!"

The order was met with a unanimous. "Yes my lord!"

Noble Six was dumb struck. This was the first time he'd heard a human give such an order concerning his own people.

'Did I hear that right?' Six thought before he started to hear the sound of gun fire. Only for it to be matched by the screams of people dying.

'I guess I did.'

Noble Six then placed the young soldier down then played a distress call on an emergency frequency.

"Now I'm gonna do something about it."

* * *

Half way across the ghetto. Lelouch stared down at the fallen body of the girl that had blocked the bullet meant for him. She had done something to him, it was wonderful and yet, "I don't understand, what is it you wanted me to do? Why did you give me this bizarre power?"

What had happened was so fast and unreal he almost didn't believe it had happened. But it did, an entire troop of royal guards lay dead at his feet. They had all shot themselves in the neck at his command.

He was then brought out of the daze this power had left him in and back to reality as a Sutherland crashed through the wall of the warehouse. It didn't take long for the pilot to notice the bodies and Lelouch.

"What happened here boy? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this? Are you deaf answer me or I'll-" from the sound of the pilots voice it was a woman, and she was angry.

When Lelouch refused to answer she fired a burst into the wall behind him. Several rounds passing a few inches from his head.

"Answer Me!" she demanded.

The whole time Lelouch didn't even flinch. He then brought his new power to bear on this pilot. "I order you to come out, at once!"

However instead of a yes sir or as you command, his order was met with a stern. "Who the hell do you think you are to order me kid?"

'I see, it only works with direct eye contact.' Lelouch quickly realized a change of tack was in order. "My name is Allen Spacer, my fathers a duke."

"Nobility?" the pilot, Villetta nu, said to herself. This changed things; if he was really a duke's son severe consequences would follow if any harm came to him. However if he was lying the punishment for protecting him could be worse.

The hatch on the Sutherland's back opened as the pilot climbed out.

"My ID card is in my breast pocket. I'll request your protection after you confirm who I am." Lelouch lied as she came closer.

"Keep your hands in the air, I'll take out your ID." she said while keeping her gun pointed strait at him the whole time.

Then he had her. "Now then hand your knightmare over to me."

Villetta then snapped to attention, her eyes gaining a slight red glow, an effect Lelouch had all but missed with the royal guards.

"Understood." She said as she flipped her gun around to hand it over to him before tossing him the knightmare's activation key. "The code number is XG212D4"

"Got it." Lelouch replied as he caught the thumb drive like device used to store a knightmare's startup system.

"What the?"

Villetta suddenly felt like something was off. Then it hit her: the boy, her gun, and knightmare frame were gone.

* * *

Suzaku expected many things to happen when he died. Yet this wasn't what he was expecting. A soft flat surface to lay on, no breeze but there was a feeling of warmth in the air.

Then he heard seven words that brought him right back to reality.

"So are we having a bad day?"

"Huh?" the last thing Suzaku remembered was being shot in the back by his CO. Now there was a strange man in a military lab coat hovering over his head, beaming with a, strange, smile.

"Looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven." he said.

"I did?" Suzaku responded, still in a light daze. When he sat up the pain from getting shot reminded him that it really happened. Yet he still forced his way up and took stock of his new surroundings. "Where?"

"Hm? Ah! We're still in the Shinjuku ghetto." the strange man answered. By now Suzaku had noticed the cloth band on the man's arm and realized he was a part of the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, the ASEEC. A major, judging by the ranking pins on the lab coat's collar.

"With prince Clovis nearby this is the safest place anywhere." Suzaku then noticed the third occupant of the room. A woman with short blue hair in an officer's uniform. "This is what saved your life mister Suzaku."

The young woman held out a light brown pocket watch. The glass, protecting its hands, was cracked and broken from the bullet's impact."You're lucky it was under your protective suit because it's what deflected the bullet."

"Yea very." it was the last thing Suzaku had that connected him to his father. The major continued to speak despite the kid's focus being elsewhere.

"You elevens believe gods live inside of everything. Even objects don't you?"

Suzaku wasn't really listening to the major in the lab coat. He was busy trying to remember why he was shot until his memories clicked together.

"Is Le- I mean..." he stopped himself. He needed to ask the right questions here. "What's the latest on the situation?"

"It would appear the poison gas was released. Massive eleven casualties have been reported."

"They haven't caught the perpetrators yet." the female officer finished.

"They haven't?"

Then the major asked the young man a radical question. "Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have piloting a knightmare?"

That question more than shocked the boy. Honorary Britannians were practically forbidden from even getting the paperwork to even apply to be a pilot. Many honorary Britannians were allowed to try the simulator for the Sutherland at least once but only to show off a machine they'd never get to pilot. "But there's no way an eleven would be made a knight."

"Well supposing you could?"

Becoming a pilot granted the person the status of a knight, which was a great deal in Britannia. Status was power, power to change thing, things that could become better. "I'll do it." He said.

The lab coat man's creepy smile was back in full blast.

"Congratulations! The only knightmare of its kind awaits you!" he shouted exuberantly. "Once you take the controls of this big beauty everything will change, you and your world."

"Whether you want it to or not." the woman added, adding to the air that there was definitely more to this machine than the others.

* * *

Across the ghetto Lelouch raced down the empty streets in his stolen knightmare. He needed information, and Scanning through the battle net with the access code of the pure blood's Sutherland was limited at best. The elevens were being massacred and he needed a different perspective. Perhaps Shirley might have an answer; something like this should be making the headlines.

When Shirley picked up the phone, the tone in her voice carried strong a note of disappointment; he made a mental note to apologize later for hanging up on her. "Lulu? What in the world have you been doing? Where are you now? If you keep cutting class you'll get held back."

While Lelouch knew she was right he had more important questions. "Are you near a TV?"

"A TV?" she asked.

"Sorry but this is important."

"Humph... Hang on."

Lelouch heard her politely speak to someone else who probably had a portable entertainment system set up.

"Hey can I change the Chanel?"

"To what?" another girl asked.

"The news," Lelouch said, "is there anything about Shinjuku."

"The news? Let's see, Shinjuku... There's nothing going on... Traffic restrictions, maybe?"

"Why is it restricted?" he asked. Something was off and he needed more info.

"I don't know. They're not saying." she replied, starting to sound a little worried.

Lelouch then stopped and ducked his machine into an ally as a Sutherland pasted down an adjacent road.

Inside his head the gears were turning. What Shirley had said didn't really answer why this attack on Shinjuku was happening, but it helped to realize what was going on.

'I get it once they finish everything off they'll release news that favors the military.' what and why the terrorists stole the truck for, Lelouch would never figure out. But it caught Clovis off guard in a big way. Now he's trying to hide it, and not just from the populous from area eleven. This much destruction would be noticed by the home land.

Lelouch then noticed a discarded chess set on the ground, its pieces scattered like broken glass. The chess set was lying right next to a dead honorary Britannian soldier. 'Something I could use?' he thought.

"Oh your gambling again aren't you? I've warned you before more than once how dangerous that is."

For once Shirley had jumped to a conclusion he could live with. "Yep. You caught me. By the way tell my little sister I'll be home late tonight, would you? Thanks."

Lelouch then hung up, knowing it would more than tick her off. It wasn't really something he was fond of doing, but he had bigger issues at hand.

"They need to keep a lid on this information so they can't risk calling for reinforcements. They'll have to make do with the pieces they have on the board. But I'm hemmed in here; it'll be tough to break through by myself. Gaining refuge carries its own risk to." Lelouch then unlocked the cockpit hatch. As the hatch opened a large crash sounded in the distance. "I want payback for being dragged into your fight."

* * *

As Kallen took down another VTOL. She heard a familiar and rather unwanted voice as a pair of Sutherlands pulled up behind her.

"It's our Glasgow friend."

Margrave Jeremiah had found her. She immediately took off as fast as she could. An alarm from her soon to be empty battery gauge only added to her problems. Kallen was in trouble, low power, outnumbered, and out gunned. She may be the best pilot in her brother's terrorist cell, but this was too much.

As the fear of death began to sink in, a new voice appeared on her com. "The west entrance. Use the tracks to get to the west entrance."

"Who's this? How do you know this code?" she shouted back angrily.

"If you want to win you're just going to have to trust me."

"To Win?" Kallen barely let those words escape her lips. She was at the end of her rope and this stranger seemed to be throwing her a life line. With the Sutherland closing in, she had no choice but to go with it.

After ziging and zaging through the streets she jumped onto the train over pass. The pure bloods hot on her heal. "Okay, what am I supposed to do now?"

On cue, the stranger gave his next instructions. "Since you trusted me you're gonna win. Jump onto the train."

"Gotcha!"

The chasing Sutherland hit the engine head on but only with enough force to stop it without damaging itself.

"You think you can get through that way hm? If that's your plan then," he then turned to his wing man. "You, go after the Glasgow!"

The Knightmare behind him acknowledged his order and started to jump over, but was suddenly struck down mid leap by a pair of slash harkens.

"What the?" Jeremiah looked to the source of the attack and found it came from another Sutherland, a purebloods judging by the red shoulder pauldron. "Shot by friendly fire?"

"What's your name and unit?" The Margrave asked. "We're after the one armed Glask- " The new Sutherland then raised and fired it's weapon at him. "Oh my god, a terrorist?" he immediately went into reverse until his units leg got blown out from under him. "You son of a-"

Jeremiah raised his weapon to fire back but ejected as Kallen rushed him.

As the cockpit block sailed away Kallen found herself relaxing for the first time in days.

"You saved me, but how did you get hold of a Sutherland?" she turned her machine to look at him but the mystery Sutherland was gone.

"Kallen?"

She looked down to see her fellow friends and members of the resistance: Ohgi, Tamaki, Inoue and Minami.

"What the hell was that radio message earlier?" Ohgi asked.

"What! He contacted you too?" the young redhead exclaimed, looking down at her friends in confusion.

"Sure did, and Yoshida's group should be here any minute."

The radio in Ohgi's hand cracked to life again with the stranger's voice. "Are you in charge?"

"Uh yea."

"I present to you the cargo in that train over there. They're tools for your victory. If you want to win then, follow my orders".

As they opened the boxcars, the look of shock on Kallen's face, and everyone else there, was priceless. All of the containers were filled with fully armed and fueled Sutherland knightmare frames. The entire train was filled with Sutherlands and knightmare weapons ready for combat. They were most likely fresh units for the Britannian forces.

Kallen continued to stair in shock. 'All this, but how?' she thought as the mystery man called on her.

"Woman in the Glasgow."

"Yes?" she responded with a new fire in her spirit.

"Your unit's going to run decoy got it?"

"Understood!"

"Energy filler status?" he asked.

"About 15 minute's worth."

"Then recharge it. In ten minutes I'll contact you with your next instructions." Lelouch then cut the connection and let out a heavy sigh. "This is wearing me out. Regardless, I'll need determination to succeed, after all I'm betting my life in this game." Lelouch then returned to watching the strategy panel. After slipping away from the red knightmare he'd found a better vantage point in an empty high-rise that was still damaged from Britannia's first invasion.

* * *

Down in the streets Noble Six was having mega deja-vu. None of it was pleasant. The streets were lined with corpses of the local population. The only thing that let him know it wasn't the covenant was the absent smell of burnt flesh. Nothing could have blocked the smoky stench of this many bodies.

'This is genocide... It... It's not right.'

Six then hit the active camo at the sound of gun fire. It only lasted a second. A minute later there was another brief staccato of gun fire that repeated again a minute later.

'No, it couldn't be.'

Six took off in the direction of the gun fire. After rounding a corner he found its source. A group of soldiers facing a wall with people lined up against it, a Mass street side executions.

"This is the last of them sir."

Lieutenant Tibult may have been enjoying himself in the beginning but the rounding up of Shinjuku's inhabitants was finally starting to wear on his patience. "Very good, after we finish with this bunch, dived into teams of four for hunter kill squads."

The rest of the soldiers herded the last ten elevens against a wall of rubble that was once an apartment complex. Tibult stood behind his troops.

"Now ready, take aim,"

The soldiers leveled their weapons at the final group of elevens.

"Fi..." the lieutenant suddenly felt like someone had jabbed a white hot poker into the side of his head and took it out the other side. Then his world faded to black.

"Sir?" one of the soldiers turned back to see why her superior had gone silent. When she saw the commander face down in a pool of blood, she broke rank.

"Man dow-" the soldier hadn't taken three steep before her head did a one eighty with a wet snap by some invisible force.

"What was that!?"

A voice materialized from the air. "Me." The lone survivor would say it was the voice of death it's self.

A Shotgun blast disintegrated the upper half of the next soldier. Six let off two more shots, tearing another man in half and turning the one behind him into Swiss cheese.

Those two shots dropped Noble Six's cloak long enough for the rest of the soldiers to see him and start shooting back.

Six just stood there as the bullets bounced off his shields. He'd been caught off guard, but something was off. When each soldier finished unloading their entire mag into the metal giant, he checked his shield status. After all that His shields had only drop by one percent.

"Pathetic." he said as he switched back to the spiker and turned the next victim into a pin cushion as they all started to reload.

One soldier finally broke down and ran. The Spartan simply picked up a rock and threw it with pinpoint accuracy. The rock smashed right between the helmet and uniforms collar.

Three of the remaining soldiers suddenly remembered the elevens they were about to execute and turned their rifles back on them.

In that second something within Noble Six snapped. He would never fully know why, but the last thing he would remember seeing as those three soldiers took aim was a mother trying to shield her child.

Before any of them could pull their triggers, two were filled with every metal spike that gun held. Six then reversed is grip on the spike rifle's handle and threw it at the third one. The weapon struck the Britannian strait in the back, with the twin bayonets hooking into his ribs. The Spartan retrieved the brute weapon by grabing the handle and with one swift yank, ripped it out.

With that one down there were only three left. Six holstered the spiker after shaking off some of the gore and pulled out his combat knife. All before the cloak finally dropped.

One Britannian had finally locked in a fresh clip but noble six closed the distance before the soldier could even line up his sights. The knife bit into the Kevlar flak jacket like a razor blade through paper.

In one stroke the soldier was sliced open from navel to jugular. Any life still in him was quick to leave.

Six then drove his blade into the crown of the next soldier's head. The helmet provided as much protection as a pumpkin shell as the high carbon steel blade punctured the poor soldier's brain.

Six decided to go for blood on the next one as he formed his free hand into a scoop and drove it through the chest of the last standing soldier. Cloth, metal, flesh, and bone parted like the red sea as his hand reached into the soldier's torso and unyielding fingers wrapped around his heart.

For a moment the Spartan stood still feeling the heart pulse in his hands. The soldier was never going to survive this but he was still holding to consciousness, face full of horror and fully aware what was coming next.

With a swift yank the 300 grams of beating flesh came free.

The soldier simply stood there for a few seconds before collapsing in a pile. As the Spartan stared at the heart he'd taken the red haze clouding his mind finally lifted. Although he was far from calm.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then something behind him did.

Crunch.

Six whipped his gun out, ready to kill. Only to find it pointed smack dab in the middle of one of the people he just saved. It was a man of about twenty seven. A cry that was quickly muted from a woman of similar age behind him. It was the same one that had protected her child. Perhaps his wife?

In the blink of an eye he immediately reholstered the weapon. "Do you have a place to hide?"

The man remained silent. The sight of a seven foot armored killing machine would do that to most people. Six then shouted.

"Speak!"

"Ye-yes." the Japanese man answered.

That was good news for the Spartan. "Then go. A lot more killing is going to happen before its safe."

Noble six then went and picked up the soldier he had hit with the rock. Back in boot he'd learned at least twenty different ways to stun a person without killing them. That was number seven.

It was another woman. Six then laid her next to the guy he had ripped the heart from, giving her a real good look at the damage when she woke up.

Noble six then took the unconscious soldier's arm in one hand and snapped the radius and ulna bones just under her wrist with a flick of his thumb. That brought her back with a scream of pain, then a scream of terror at the sight of her comrad's torn up chest. When she looked at Noble Six, she went silent, standing over her was a giant black and red metal... "Demon..." she whispered.

"Why are you doing this? These are civilians you're killing! What have these people done to warrant this... Genocide?"

Despite the pain the soldier started to laugh like he'd just told a funny joke. "People? They're elevens, just worthless numbers. Our viceroy, prince Clovis, ordered it so why should it matter?"

Six had heard enough. He then got up and brought the full weight of his foot down on her knee. The soldier let out one final scream as the pain sent her into shock.

Numbers? Worthless! These were human beings she was slandering. Noble six then ripped off her helmet. He wanted to look her in the eye when he ended it.

But his own heart almost stopped when he saw her face. Her skin was a little darker, devoid of scars, and her hair was a few inches longer. Yet he would know that face anywhere, B091-Lucy.

She was a Spartan three just like him. Spartans trained and fought together so much that they're more than team members they are family. Six remembered Phillips talk about other dimensions, how the world would be the same yet have fundamentally subtle and not so subtle differences. He hadn't given it very much thought at first, but now the implications hit him full force. Who else would he find in this twisted mirror world? Friends, family, maybe even himself? Would he have the will to kill them if he had to?

Noble Six picked the soldier up by her flak jacket. Giving her a good reminder of the broken bones. Then dropped her among the bodies of the Japanese people that the Britannians had been executing. "These are human beings not numbers. They live, think, bleed, and die just like you. If you can't see that, then you don't have the right to be called one!"

Six then turned right around and walked away, reactivating his active camo and faded from the worlds view.

* * *

Back at the G1 things were progressing quite smoothly for the Britannian side as general Bartley gave the viceroy his update.

"The populace are mounting a minor resistance against us. They pose little threat to our vastly superior army." Clovis however was already growing board with the battle's pace.

"We know that, moving on."

"Understood your highness. The gas capsules will be..."

"What we want the public to think." the prince finished. They wouldn't really believe the truth anyway. The general also knew what the prince really wanted.

"Yes. We'll keep searching for her."

"Either way, I want her captured, dead or alive."

It really didn't matter to the prince. The girl was special. She had powers that defied the laws of nature, and maybe because the girl wasn't entirely...

Human.

* * *

As the terrorists began setting up in their recently acquired Sutherlands, the group's resident loud mouth, Tamaki Shinichiro expressed his concerns again, for the tenth time.

"Hey, are you certain about this whole thing? They have all had their IFF's removed what if this is a trap?"

They had moved the machines off the train tracks and to their staging grounds for better protection. Each knightmare was fully charged and armed with the standard assault package. Fully loaded with plenty of spare ammunition and Sakuradite fillers.

"The other side has total advantage in this war. They don't need to set any traps." Ohgi's logic was sound and would keep Tamaki quiet for a little while.

While Ohgi may have been inexperienced when it came to strategy and tactics, he was no fool. If this had been a trap the best point to trip it would have been back at the train, when they were all together. Now they were spread out, dug in, and no longer out gunned. "Alright people let's move, get to your assigned points."

However he did still share in Tamaki's concern. Just who was this mysterious strategist and why was he doing this for them?

Then speak of the devil. "P1 can you move? It's basically the same as what you're used to."

"Can't you tell us who you are?."

Ohgi wanted something, anything, that could be shown as a sign of trust.

"I can't do that," was the reply, "what if these signals are being intercepted? Any way, if Q1 is on schedule, Sutherlands, probably two of them, will reach you in twenty seconds. Shoot them through the wall"

"Ahgg, he's out of his mind!" Tamaki shouted from the background.

The moment of truth. If it was a trap then this would be the last chance to turn back, but at this point? What other choice did Ohgi have? "Everyone double check your weapons."

"What? Are you serious?" Tamaki was the type to be the last, or next to it, to change his mind but once he did, he'd give it his all.

* * *

Noble Six fought not to throw up again, since the haze from the rage trip had ended. He'd gone too far with that soldier and it was making him sick. He couldn't treat this battle the same way as his fights with the covenant or the insurgence. There were rules when it came to fighting humans. Six needed to adhere to them, or he'd be no better than the covenant.

A red machine then suddenly rolled right past him. It snapped Six out pressing weight of his moral nightmare.

What had zipped by was a knightmare, hearing Phillips talk about it and seeing one in person were totally different experiences.

It was massive, bigger than a scorpion and almost twice as fast as a warthog. The old Cyclopes he'd seen in ship loading docks were windup toys in comparison.

The AI had automatically scanned the mech and was quickly creating a diagram for the Spartan to observe.

The thoughts that had plagued his mind before were quickly put aside with one word.

"Impressive."

* * *

"Enemy spotted at point f-31"

"A Feint eh?" the prince scoffed, sounding appropriately bored with the situation "How very pedestrian of them…"

The prince's knowledge of the battlefield only went as far as the tactical display on the screen in front of him. For the most part he'd delegate things like tactics and strategy to Bartley or one of his other subordinates.

Bartley then did his duty and went about moving their forces to crush the feint. "Tell Lazlo squad to go straight in. Have Eugen and Valerie strike from the rear."

The third prince smiled. Soon the worst would be over. That old Glasgow was the only tactical advantage the terrorist had. Once it was out of the way he could go back to his party as Bartley mopped up.

* * *

As a pair of Sutherlands rolled by, Noble Six dashed across the street behind them. If they had seen the Spartan, his active camouflage would have given him the resemblance of a Spector.

'It's getting a little crowded down here.' he thought.

Fighting with these mobile armored monsters running around was quickly becoming difficult. His only heavy weapon was the Spartan laser. When he heard of these machines Six expected to see something slow, both in overland speed and response. Easy targets, But it was quickly proven not to be the case. His scanners revealed that the motorized wheels attached to the machine's feet were actually its primary means of mobility. Said wheels also made it just slightly faster than a warthog, another thing he couldn't straight outrun.

So Noble Six decided it was time to find a new vantage point to better observe the situation.

Easier said than done.

Getting to the top of a tall enough building was a little bit more difficult than originally expected. Mostly because finding a proper staircase that supported the weight of his one ton armor was practically impossible. However an empty elevator shaft of a blown out, fifteen story, office building proved to be the ticket.

Once he reached the roof the view was actually not that much better. Even from his perch there were still plenty of buildings that blocked Noble Six's line of sight of the streets and edges of the encirclement. On the plus side, he could still see more of the fighting inside. Once he found a good spot to set up he brought up the IFFs of these knightmare's and marked them on his HUD using nav markers.

'Not exactly my best plan, but I need to do something. I didn't equip myself to fight mobile armor like those-'

Then two of the IFF signals winked out.

'What the?'

Then several more began to disappear. Something was happening and Noble Six needed a better picture. He needed a painter.

"AI."

"Tech analyst AI, designation Forge. Awaiting command." Six's new cranial tenant responded in a rather dead pan voice.

"Can you access the battle net, of both sides?"

"Analyzing… multiple encrypted communication frequency's detected. Security strength: negligible."

Not really the answer Six was looking for. "Can you give me a live feed?"

"Affirmative, but this is not a primary function of this-"

"Do it, but set it up to only receive audio."

"Complying."

The sound of static briefly played across his ears before turning into understandable words.

From the side of the Britannians, all noble six caught was a confused mess of orders for various units to move in and attack. The Spartan counted at least five different people barking orders.

But on the other side of the battle was a clear contrast: one voice, simple orders.

"R2 fire anchor."

"B7 use UN ordinance."

"N group you'll continue your advance."

They were still coded orders and they seem to strike a chord with the Spartan. 'That code, it sounds familiar. Are the groups color coded? N group? No it's something else. I've counted five separate letter groups p, n, r, b, and q. P group seems the largest while Q seem to only have... One.' then it hit him like a sack of bricks. They were code for the names of chess pieces. An archaic game of strategy that had lasted for millennia.

Once he figured that out, Six began using the Doppler effect to figure out which unit was where. Soon he had both sides mapped out and was able to generate his own play by play.

* * *

"We just lost Lazlo squad!"

Clovis didn't like how these events were turning away from his favor. "So do it! Then we'll have to bring up Quincy squad."

"My lord, that will break the encirclement." and if that happened the terrorists they'd pinned down here would very well escape.

"Reinforce the breach in the encirclement with some of the forces guarding me; all we know for certain is that enemy forces are HERE." Clovis indicated by pointing to the center of the map.

And if they weren't, the ensuing wave of knightmare's would guarantee it.

* * *

As the fighting continued Britannian pilots that safely ejected, made their way to the encirclement line and safety.

Villetta was no different as she crept past every ally and dark corner. She had lost her knightmare and weapon, a slip up here would cost her life.

However caution became the last thing on her mind as she rounded a corner and found the remains of a blood bath.

There were plenty of corpses that belonged to elevens, but it was the remains of a Britannian platoon that made her stop.

By her count, only three bodies were intact. Most were blown into a bloody pulp or pinned to the ground and walls with metal spikes.

Yet it was the last four that caused the churning bile in her stomach to surge.

One had been disemboweled, a clean cut running from the jaw to the stomach.

The next had a line of blood along the helmet, the red liquid still pouring from the cut.

The last two had gaping holes in their midsections.

Villetta was revolted by this display of bloody gore until a moan from the top of a pile of dead snapped her back.

Quick to find an answer to what happened here she found one soldier still alive. Several of her bones had been broken and her leg was hanging on by a thread, but she was breathing.

After several loud shouts and a hard pull to her feet, follow by a scream of pain. The two of them hobbled off towards the encirclement line.

* * *

Noble Six then watched as the remaining IFF markers start moving in mass towards the center of the battle field. 'What is the commander thinking? And how will the king respond?'

The king, as six personally labeled the terrorist's shadow operator, suddenly asked his best piece a question of his own. "You, Q1. Do you have an area map?"

"Yes I have a map of the old town," Six heard the pilot reply. "But it doesn't have any current land marks."

"It'll do. Head underground I'll give you more details once you reach the objective."

'What is he doing?' Six thought as more of the purple machines poured into the center. He'd already watched the units piloted by the terrorists start to enter the underground subways, most likely an escape route.

'I guess that's all.' Six thought as he closed his connection to the battle net and got up to climb back down.

However Six had only taken two steps before the twitch of a slight tremor ran under his feet.

"Huh?"

Then it built till it felt the whole earth was shaking apart.

"What is going on here?!"

Noble Six then turned back and watched as the streets beneath the knightmare's crumble and collapse like a floor of thin ice, the machines were sucked into the earth and crushed.

"I'll admit. I didn't see that one coming." Six said as the devastation of the collapsing streets continued to spread and devour more Sutherlands.

Dozens upon dozens of IFF signals winked out as more underground tunnels collapsed until every machine controlled by the Britannians inside the encirclement were crushed.

* * *

Up in his hiding spot Lelouch was privately patting himself on the back.

"With this, I call check…"

Just like his big brother Clovis to make such a simple and crippling mistake.

At that same moment Clovis was mortified. All of his offensive knightmare's were just destroyed in seconds. "Who in the hell am I up against?" he said.

None of the elevens could ever come up with something like this. Except maybe Tohdoh the miracle worker, but he was a member of the Japan Liberation Front. Once more, the JLF had no presence in Shinjuku, but if not him then who? Then a more terrifying thought found him.

'What... What if... He's even better then Tohdoh?' the prince was becoming frantic, he was losing fast and he needed an edge. Something... Anything! To turn the tide back in his favor.

"Lloyd!" he shouted.

"Yes your highness?" the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps commander immediately replied, having not bothered to end communications when the prince had turned him down.

"Can it win? Will your toy beat them?"

Some of the man's energy dispelled at the designation the prince gave his marvel. "My lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot."

* * *

As Noble Six continued to watch the terrorists mop up the remaining Britannian soldiers something strange suddenly filtered over the battle net.

"This is B group, reporting enemy presence!"

The king was quick to answer.

"Status."

"Everyone ejected, but they took out four units in nothing flat!"

"Enemy numbers?" the king asked, probably trying to figure out his counter move.

"Just one, I think. It's a new model, never seen anything like AAAHHHHH-!"

The line suddenly went dead. Noble six then focused the scope of his scout helmet at the group that called it in. All their machines were destroyed. Yet there was no sign of the machine that did it.

'Where are you?' he thought as the sounds of other terrorists crying out over the com reached Six's ears as this new contact continued to take them out.

Then he saw it, a white machine with gold trim. Compared to these bulky Sutherlands it was, almost, an entirely different machine. The body was more stream lined, allowing more flexibility. Its movement's fluid, not static. Almost like it was a giant person wrapped in white armor, almost...

'Like a giant Spartan.' six thought, his stomach dropping a little. 'Oh great.'

Then a green field enveloped its arms and a hail of bullets that would have destroyed the white machine were harmlessly deflected.

'Shields? This just gets bet- wait.'

But Unlike the full body shields of the Spartan armor these only seemed to cover the forearm. Like those found on the Kig-Yar skirmishers. A flaw in the design, to Six, but then he didn't know if that was from the limits of the designer's imagination, or

The king then began his counter move.

"N4 N5 hold there when the rear units arrive surround that thing."

The white knightmare responded by slicing off the head of one machine and the arm off another.

"We can't stop it!" one of the pilots said as he fell.

"N units what is it?" the king asked.

They couldn't answer him. By now all of their machines had been destroyed and the pilots ejected.

One after another this new arrival tore through the terrorists like a berserker brute chieftain through a flock of moa.

Soon a sound of dread filled the king's voice.

"P1 report!"

Again no answer for him. Things were taking a bad turn and fast.

Six unslung the Spartan laser and took careful aim as he tracked the thing. That white one was fast, very fast. If he was going to hit it...

The weapon kicked his shoulder as the pent-up energy found its release, and soon its target.

* * *

The white knightmare had found Lelouch far too fast, and was easily overpowering him. Even knocking his Sutherland down through several floors.

Lelouch watched as the white machine dropped down on him for the kill. Then suddenly, a bright red beam carved its way through the walls and sliced into the white devil's right arm and leg, carving them right off. He wouldn't stay to question the how, not this time. As soon as the white machine hit the floor Lelouch was gone.

At the ASEEC's trailer Lloyd was practically livid. His prided creation had almost been cut in half.

"What in the nine realms of Hades and Hel just Happened!"

Several of the staff were considering answering but Cecil took charge. What had happened was a topic for latter, right now they needed to focus on their current problem.

"Get a retrieval team ready immediately!"

Cecil Croomy's orders snapped Lloyd out of his shock. "The Lancelot is down in enemy territory we must get it back at all costs!"

As much as a destroyed arm and leg horrified Lloyd. Those parts could be replaced, and a new set were already being prepared. This pilot he'd found was a different matter. This boy had pushed the Lancelot farther than any previous test pilot ever had.

He'd finally found it, the perfect and most crucial part of his machine. Losing it was not an option, his data demanded it.

* * *

From his vantage point on the abandoned building Six could see very little of the kings position, but his targeting system had confirmed a hit.

'Well, the dye is cast.' Noble Six thought as he got up to walk back to the elevator shaft.

A small glint of color then caught his eye. He almost missed it, but he saw the red unit. The king had called that machine's pilot Q1. The battered robot then turned a corner and headed deeper into the ghetto.

"And where's that one going?" he said to himself before deciding to run after it.

When that white machine made a bee line for that Sutherland hiding in the tower Kallen realized it must belong to the mysterious voice on the radio.

She'd fallowed the white mech in order to try and stop it. However the beam of red light that had rendered the once unstoppable force useless actually sent her running because it had almost hit her next.

After ditching the damaged Glasgow in a prearranged hiding spot. Kallen proceeded to the hidden shelter on foot.

Six watched the pilot exit the red machine through his helmet's built-in binoculars.

He wasn't really shocked to see another kid, a teenage girl with bright red hair at his best guess. Hunting terrorist groups most of his career had pitted the Spartan three against armies that could pass for a class of six graders.

'Why is it the troubles of the last generation are felt the hardest by the next?' he thought as he followed her from the roof tops. She'd twist and turn down rubble strewn roads and narrow alley ways making sure any other tail she acquired would be quickly lost.

This would continue until another person called her.

"Kallen! This way."

The distance was great but he could just barely make out.

"So that's her name, Kallen."

Six then watched the two of them enter a large warehouse like building. 'Okay. Found their hiding spot, I guess-'

Six then stopped as a tank began rolling up the road, flanked by eight infantry men. All heading straight for the warehouse.

"Aw come on!" he groaned out before jumping off the roof to the streets below. 'Can't these people catch a break?'

* * *

Despite the feeling of having been followed earlier Kallen was finally starting to relax. Inside the sanctuary her brother had set up for their resistance group before he died. "Ohgi, who was that voice we heard, and do you suppose he had anything to do with that red beam?"

"Damned if I know. He doesn't answer when I call so maybe he bought it-"

Any more words were silenced as the shelter's doors were suddenly blown in by a tank.

"So this is where you elevens scurried off to." the tank commander said, the smile on his face left no illusion to what would happen next. "Prepare to fire!"

The turret and soldier's leveled their guns at the terrified people.

"And f-"

Thunk!

The commander never finished the sentence as, a spiked baton, slammed into the back of his head. The force of the blow was so great that it slammed the man's face right into the tanks armor with a resounding, Clang!

"Sir!?" one of the soldiers said as their commander's body slipped into the turret. However the second the commander's body settled inside the metal monster, the spike grenade on the back of his head detonated. The tanks turret was instantly turned into Swiss cheese and three of the eight soldiers were perforated with white hot shrapnel. The explosion conveniently distracted everyone from the two smoke grenades that dispensed their contents at their feet.

"What the hel-" one soldier started to say before a giant hand wrapped around his neck and crushed it like an egg shell.

"Argh!" two more croaked out as their helmets were crushed with their heads still inside.

One soldier however, was quick enough to think through the confusion. "Switch to thermal vision!" he shouted. The only thing he saw when he did though was the muzzle of an m6, a flash of bright red and white, then nothing but darkness and a fading pain.

Outside of the smoke cloud nobody saw what was going on, they could only hear the sounds of bones crunching, flesh tearing, and a gun discharging. Then when the noise died down and the smoke started to clear, Ohgi and Kallen saw something. It was a pair of silhouettes; one was clearly a Britannian soldier. The other made their blood run cold, a seven foot humanoid figure, holding the soldier over a foot off the ground by his neck. As the smoke continues to dissipate, the Britannian soldier's limp body was cast aside. Then the unknown giant faded back until it disappeared along with the fog.

When the smoke finally cleared, all that remained was a tank posing as a hedgehog and a small pile of dead soldiers.

As Noble Six retreated back into the shadows a new command came over a channel so open even people hiding in the gutters heard it.

"Cease fire at once! I, Clovis, Third Prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you. All forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You will also cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice! In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered: cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"

The command confused every soldier present. Yet they all obeyed, begrudgingly they obeyed, the prince's orders.

* * *

However the prince's command was not given willingly.

"Are you satisfied?" Clovis asked as the power to the con was cut and the G1's bridge went dark.

"Very, well done."

Clovis wasn't entirely sure how but his entire staff just up an left at the command of a lowly private. Who had forced the prince to stop the assault at gun point.

"And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game of chess?"

"That has a familiar ring." the soldier said as he removed his helmet and cast it aside.

"Huh?" despite the removal of the helmet the soldiers face was still veiled by the shadows. No features to jog his memory, but the soldier continued to feed him clues.

"Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess as boys. Of course I'd always win." Clovis was still unable to recall.

"What?"

"Remember, at the Aries villa."

"You!" Clovis clearly remembered who fit that description but that person was dead. Dead for seven years. So... "Who are you?"

"It's been a long time big brother." the lowly soldier walked into the lite and Clovis was shocked beyond all reason as the imposable revealed himself. "The eldest son of the late consort Marian and seventeenth in line to the imperial throne Lelouch Vi Britannia, at your service."

"Lelouch? But I thought-"

"That I was dead? You were wrong." Clovis stared in shock as Lelouch continued. "I have returned your highness. And I've come back to change everything."

Clovis smiled. "I'm overjoyed, Lelouch!" Despite Clovis' smile his tone painted his emotions between nervous and terrified. "They say you died once Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back, we should depart for the homeland immediately."

Lelouch smiled in return, yet his was of a more sinister nature.

"So you can use me as a tool of diplomacy? It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place."

The smile then left Clovis. He knew Lelouch had a drive, a question that he would use to rip through anyone to answer.

"That's right, it's because my mother was killed." Lelouch paused for a brief moment. He could never mention that day. Not without every detail flashing before his eyes in vivid detail. His mother's body filled with holes lying on top of his little sister Nunnally who'd taken several shots to her legs. "Mother held the title knight of honor, but was a commoner by birth. No doubt the other consorts held her in contempt. Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists. I know full... You people killed my mother."

"It wasn't me! I swear to you it wasn't!" the fear of the gun in Lelouch's hand and his tightening grip were more than enough to get the truth out of him, but the eleventh prince wanted more.

"Then tell me everything you know. The truth cannot be hidden from me any longer! By whose hand was she slain?"

A sense of calm seemed to flow over Clovis as the command for him to answer took hold. "My brother second prince Shneizel and second princess Cornelia they can tell you."

This news shocked the boy. Both were actually great supporters of his late mother. "They were at the heart of all this?"

Clovis remained silent.

"That's all that you know isn't it." In truth Lelouch had suspected those two had the least to do with his mother's death. If they were involved, then he would get the answers he wanted out of them. One way or another.

Then like that, Clovis was back in control like it never happened. "I swear it wasn't me! I had nothing to do with it!"

"I believe you," Lelouch said as he lowered the gun. Then a sinister smile appeared on the fallen prince's face. "however." the gun was raised again, pointed squarely between the third prince's eyes.

"Please you can't! You and I have Different mothers but you and I are still blood!"

Lelouch ignored his half-brother's pleas; to him this was the first step. "You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."

Deep in the Shinjuku ghetto, a cold wave passed through Noble Six.

"Something wrong Noble Six? Your heart rate just spiked."

"It's probably nothing. But somehow I get the feeling that something was started. Something... big."

* * *

**All right All right, this is the second chapter to go up. I can only hope that I'm on the right path**

**Like I said I would respond to my reviews, both good or bad. This time I will be starting with the flames.**

**gh0st3, RoyalTwinFang, and Drgyen stated in their reviews that I am just copying from the anime. What is a fan fiction story if not a copy of the original. Sure, there are some things different: added, removed, and other wise changed. It still has parts from the original story. I only want to stick as much detail as I can.**

**Alaskanson98 thank you fore the vote of confidence since I really want to keep writing this story.**

**mangaG and ****DarkMeddler have shown interest in the plot but have suggested that I focus less on the events from the CG series and more on the spartan 3. These are notes I will take into consideration, I will be cutting back on some of the parts that don't have Lelouch or Suzaku, and maybe a few that do. Because they are the main characters of code geass and co main characters to this story.**

**XT3100 asked how Noble Six will handle being in the Geass world, the most I can reveal now is that he's going to really hate Britannia policy**


	4. Turn 3

**Don't own the rights to code geass or halo reach... But feel free to tell my how I can, legaly of course.**

* * *

Turn 3

A well rounded, and funded, school can be a real gold mine. For researchers it's a nexus of both old and new information. To a politician, they're producers of potential voters and great publicity. With soldiers it's a building full of new recruits and supplies. The engineer finds an extensive workshop. A spy, or a Spartan three, see's all of the above.

* * *

"So this is the place?" Noble Six said as he passed through the front gate of the Ashford Academy.

"Yep," the AI replied, "it was either this, or raid a military hanger. Schools like this are almost always loaded with useful equipment and supplies."

"And if what you told me is true, it's all state of the art."

While the shuttle had plenty of parts Six could use to repair and upgrade his suit, it lacked the tools and other equipment needed to preform the maintenance on the mojlin armor and other UNSC tech there. The former was actually getting a little overdue for a tune up. Plasma burn, blunt and sharp force impact damage, and an atmospheric reentry would take a tole on any armor. It was a wonder that his suit didn't just seize up on the spot.

"Of course let's not forget your other reason for coming here." Phillips said.

"The pilot of the red mech. What did the other guy call her? Kallen?"

"Affirmative."

"How'd you track her to this school?" Six asked as he navigated through the students with his active camo.

"It wasn't easy." the AI replied switching to a rather pissed off tone. "Software security might be a joke but navigating the network is like moving through mud. I stumbled across some footage of her arriving on campus this morning. I swear this stuff is going to drive me rampant."

Noble Six knew that wasn't true. Phillips actually wanted to search for that girl's face in the network. Digital needle in a hay stack search, any excuse to do anything. He was just ornery because he found he by pure chance.

Phillips was a digital entity in an analog age. He was getting cabin fever without any mainstream networks, or other AIs or people to talk with on a large scale. He'd seen it before. Some experts even said it could even shave a year off its operational life span if not handled quickly.

When Noble Six came back to the ship after the military were called off. He had Phillips explain more about the world they had come to. One of his biggest shocks was the real difference in the calendars.

The date said 2017 but stellar cartography actually put it at 1955. Apperantly the dark ages ended a little early in this reality.

Once he'd learned enough Six went about constructing a com relay system out of anything he could salvage from the shuttle to stay in contact with the it's AI. It took all night but the fact he was at the school and talking with the AI that was still at the underground hide out proved it was working.

Back on the ship Phillips hologram smiled. "It may have been pure chance that she goes to this school, but I'll see if I can accesss the school's data base and pull up her class schedule and home address."

"Good," but Six however wasn't smiling. "But what I really want is the king."

'The man that was moving the pieces.' he thought.

"There are a lot of things I can do to find him. I can tap into every phone line and run the voice sample against…"

"The entire world?" Six said, interrupting him.

"The greater Tokyo area. I'm a smart AI, but I have my limits in this primative network."

* * *

In a building just off the main campus. Nicknamed the student council clubhouse by the other students. Lelouch was quickly woken from his attempted nap.

"Wake up Lelouch. I know you were sleeping, your hand stopped moving" shouted Milly Ashford, while bonking the exhausted vice president over the head with a handful of rolled up papers.

"Well you don't have to beat me up over it, do you?" Lelouch retorted. He was lucky they were only doing club budget work. All the school's text books were hard cover.

"Ah, serves you right for ditching me like that" council secretary, Rivalz, said.

"That's right. What was up with you yesterday?" Shirley asked, while giving him a suspicious glance.

Lelouch tried to mask the nervousness he suddenly had. "Oh...Well"

He was so tired from that episode in Shinjuku that he'd put off making up a cover story when he got home.

Thankfully the student council president, Milly, decided to interrupt. Saving Lelouch from the preverbal interrogation light.

"That's enough you guys. Let's not get sidetracked here. If we don't come up with a fix for the club activities budget, there won't be money left for anything at all."

"And if it comes to that point..." Nina started from her spot in the corner at her computer.

"...the equestrian club will be pissed. We don't want them coming in here on horseback" Rivalz finished.

"Rivalz, can't you be a more serious student council member?" Milly commented with a stern look. Not noticing a member of said club was riding past the window behind her.

"You know it would have been nice of you if you would have told us about this mess days ago." Shirley said.

"I would have to say a day later. Then we would have given up." Rivalz said jokingly.

"Good idea, we can still do that!" Lelouch added.

The prez however wouldn't have it.

"GUTS" shouted Milly, and the entire student council cringed at the volume of her voice.

"Are you trying that 'guts' spell again?" Rivalz asked.

"Yup. I want you people to start giving your all into this." She replied with her, ever present, perky attitude. It was her own style of passive aggressiveness.

"I don't think your magic is going to do a whole lot" Lelouch commented.

"Actually it's got me going Madam President" Shirley argued with a smile. She was the energetic type.

"Supple and willing, that's what I like" Milly commented, giving her a sly glance.

"I train hard in the gymnastics club" Shirley agreed, pumping her arm.

"That's not what I was getting at." Milly continued.

"Huh?"

"You're a ten." Milly commented.

"Huh?" Shirley asked. She followed Milly's eyes down to her chest.

"From what I have seen in the girl's bathroom anyway. You've been filling out in all the right places huh" Milly continued, showing one of her 'playful' quirks.

"Uh-oh" Rivalz uttered out, looking at Shirley in a different light.

"What are you talking about, you perv!" Shirley shouted, covering her arms over her chest, feeling like they could suddenly see through her school uniform.

"Oh you're so easy to tease" Milly giggled.

Shirley continued to hold her chest and blush in embarrassment, and a little frustration since the one person she wanted to look at her was staring strait at his papers.

Lelouch took another look around the room. Nearly dying puts a lot of things in perspective, and while he knew everyone in the room. He wanted to remember this moment of… normalcy.

The one who had knocked him on the head with a roll of papers was the student council president, Milly Ashford, was a tall girl with dirty blond hair and a year older than everyone else. She was easily one of the prettiest girls in school. Of course since her family was former nobility it wasn't that big a surprise.

Then there was Shirley Fenette, a member of the gymnastic and swim clubs. She was an achiever, but not so much that it was an annoyance. She was about the same height as Lelouch with orange hair that ran down to her waist. There was something else too, something about her that kept drawing him towards her but he just couldn't place it.

Third was council secretary and partner in crime Rivals Cardemonde. There was actually an interesting story behind the blue haired boy's attendance at the academy. Cardemonde was actually his mother's maiden name. Rivalz family was based in the California province; apparently he had a falling out with his father that landed him in area eleven. This information was a secret between the two of them. So secret in fact that not even the Ashford's knew.

And the last member of the council, Nina Einstein. She was without a doubt the smartest girl in the whole school. Even the task of sorting out the whole budget could have been finished minutes after starting by her alone if it wasn't for one small hitch she had developed. Every waking moment of every day that didn't absolutely require her to physically be somewhere else, was spent in front of that computer. Apparently she had stumbled on some sort of elemental equation, and anyone that tried to listen to her explain it would do one of three things: fall asleep, get a really bad head ache, or run from the room screaming.

Several hours later, they managed to leave the Council meeting to go to their class rooms and mingle with their classmates.

"Geez, our President is just a dirty old man on the inside. Sullying the meaning with her filthy mind" Shirley said, commenting on their friend's sense of humor.

"That's Milly for you" Nina said. It was one part of her more 'playful' side.

"Well look on the bright side we got the budget balanced didn't we." Rivalz commented as they walked into their home room class, which was a buzz.

"They used poisoned gas" someone said out loud.

The council members looked around to see several people hovering over different laptops lying around the room. On the screens was a news report running about a terrorist attack in the Shinjuku ghetto.

"Man that's freaky. Shinjuku is only 30 minutes away" a student commented.

"Shinjuku?" Shirley asked Lelouch, since he had called and asked her about it yesterday.

"I heard about it in real time from a friend. That's why I called you yesterday." he said.

"Hey check out the footage of those dead elevens" someone shouted out.

"Ugh don't look at that!" A female student said in disgust.

'This is strange, why would they cover it up?' Lelouch thought before he suddenly bent forward with a hand over his mouth. Like he was about to throw up. The memory of killing his brother was still fresh in his mind, and it was making him sick.

After a short while, Lelouch came out of a lavatory stall, looking slightly better and started to wash up.

'Are they covering up his death to fend off anarchy?' he thought, trying to clear his head and understand where things were going. 'If that's the case, and they finally do announce it...'

Despite how serious things were Lelouch couldn't shake the fact that he shot his brother in cold blood.

"I guess I'm not as tough as I thought I was." he said softly. Lelouch then walked about the hallways alone, his friends had decided to give him some space after his little episode. During this walk he came upon a member of the cafeteria staff. A young woman dressed as a maid, pushing a trolley filled with frosted pastries topped with various glazed fruits. She was an eleven, maybe a year younger than him, if her height was a given factor.

'I should test my powers.' he thought.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?" she asked, completely unaware of what was going to happen next.

Lelouch then focused and felt that same warm prickle he felt when he used it back in Shinjuku.

"Feed that strawberry to me?" he asked.

"Yes. Here you go." the young maid did as Lelouch ask without question, or any other emotion at all.

'Good, she obeyed.' He spotted the hard to catch red glow in her eyes, letting him know he was in total control.

Once the maid had done what he asked the red glow faded and she was back to normal. "Oh! What was I just doing?" she couldn't remember the last minute.

Lelouch then repeated his command.

"Now take that grape and feed it to me."

Instead of obeying, the girl's face suddenly turned beet red. "Why do I have to do that? Please don't tease me." then she did the only thing she could in her position. Go back to the trolley and push it as fast as she could without breaking into a run.

Lelouch was confused. 'It didn't work. Why? What does this mean?'

* * *

At that same moment, margrave Jeremiah and his subordinate Villetta Nu were being driven to the military barracks

"That ex-civil servant is such a fool." Jeremiah grumbled.

"So are you referring to Bartley?" Villetta asked. Knowledge of the viceroy's death had almost been kept from them. But through some forgotten link in the chain of command the news was slipped to the margrave.

"The killer has breached our highest level of security twice already. This defunctory inspection is a farce." Bartley and the other senior staff had failed in a very royal way and were looking for an escape. Considering the extent of the damage. "First when the terrorist's stole the gas capsule. Then again when the prince was murdered inside the G1 mobile base."

Villetta knew the time couldn't be better. "Margrave Jeremiah, now that prince Clovis is out of the way we pure bloods can-" the margrave calmly interrupted her with a raised finger.

"Let me make that call. We still need to win everyone over."

"Your right."

"Besides, I'd like a chance to question this survivor you found."

* * *

"Seriously? How does a spartan get lost in a hallway." Phillips said as Noble Six passed the same class room for the seventh time.

"The ATLAS map says there's a maintanance elevator to the sub floors right here."

"That's the first floor, you're on the second."

Noble Six sighed before heading for the nearest-

"Kallen it's been ages!"

Six did an immediate 180 at the open classroom before quckly sticking his head into the room and slipping in. There twords the back of the class was a small cluster of girls. In the middle was a 17 year old girl, with blue eyes, straight red hair that cut off an inch above her shoulders, and a rather meek expression on her face.

Her appearance was so contrary to before that for a moment the spartan thought he had the wrong girl, until he heard her speak. "Yeah, I just have to go easy for a little while." She said in a soft voice. "Anyway if I stay at home any longer I'll never catch up."

With all the girls surrounding her like that the spartan couldn't get near her. So Noble six decided to take up a section of wall behind two boys that seemed to have their own interest in the Kallen girl. According to the school listing Phillips had provided they were Lelouch Lamperouge and Rivalz Cardemonde.

"What's up buddy, see something you like." Rivalz asked as he followed his friends gaze to the new and yet familiar girl. "You've got a thing for her, don't ya?" he commented. It sounded like He said it in jest but it was more out of curiosity since Lelouch had never stared at another girl that intensely before.

"Just thinking this is a rare event. She hasn't been here at school since this whole term started." Lelouch replied as the group of girls laughed together.

Rivalz could tell his friend wanted to know more, this was his way of asking.

Rivalz donned his signature smile as he began giving out facts about the girl like he was reading a dossier, instead of reciting it all from memory.

"Kallen Stadtfeld. They say she's sick or something and she barely showed up at school last year either. Still her grades are at the top of the class. And she's a member of the Stadtfeld family, which means she's well-bred and rolling in money. Man you sure know how to pick'em."

Rivalz getting the wrong idea was something Lelouch was all too familiar with. "It's not like that." he said.

"Ah you don't have to hide it, a touch too sheltered though if you ask me."

"Wow," Phillips said after hearing the blue haired boy's description, "who do you supose that kid is, the school info broker?"

"Maybe," Six said as he left the classroom to resume hi search, "but that's not going to be much use to us."

"Speak for yourself. Thanks to that kid, I finally have a last name and home address to work with."

* * *

By lunch Kallen and her, school, friends were enjoying an outdoor meal, until…

"A bee! A bee!"

"Oh my god Kallen run" another shouted before they all ran away.

Kallen stood up calmly with her lunch and ran behind a bush nearby. Away from the girls and the offending bug.

"I don't get it, why is a bee after me" she whispered. She then swiped at it as it flew past her, killing it in one stroke.

"God I hate this. I'm sick of acting like a freaking invalid" she said, temporally turning into her normal self. Then took a bite of her sandwich.

Noticing someone to her left she turned to find Lelouch standing right next to her cover could be salvaged she immediately slipped back into her alter ego.

"Can...Can I help you with something?" she asked. Trying to play the part of a girl with a weaker constitution.

However the fallen prince was not fooled. Nor did he want to bother with the theatrics of playing along. So he simply activated his power and asked her directly.

"I want answers. Were you the one in the red Glasgow?"

"Yes." she said with the same dead pan tone Lelouch had come to expect from those he used his power on.

"Why? You're a Britannian. Why fight on the eleven's side?"

"I'm Japanese." she answered "Although I'm also half Britannian."

"Half-blood!?" Kallen's response greatly shocked Lelouch. Most people who had even a fraction of a different heritage were treated the same as any non Britannian. Her father must have gone to great lengths to keep her true heritage a secret.

Lelouch continued to question her. Learning more about her and the group she travels with. Until he was confident he had enough information and released his control.

For a brief moment she seemed confused.

"Um...did you want something?"

"No, I got what I wanted here" he said and turned away.

'Geese, what a jerk' she thought, completely oblivious to what had just transpired.

However as Lelouch started to walk away, the thought of a possible lose end came up. "Oh wait, just to be sure. Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku" he told her, geass fully activated once again.

This time however his words seemed to alarm her. "What do you mean about Shinjuku?" she asked timidly. "Why would you say that?"

For a moment Lelouch was shocked. "Go back to class" He said, ordering her with his power again.

"As soon as I get an answer to my question, I will" she replied with a little more force in her voice.

Lelouch was again surprised. Once again his new power had failed him. Only now there could be more dangerous consequences.

On impulse he started to back away.

"Hey Lulu, Kallen!"

The two students looked up to find Shirley waving from the second story window of the school.

"You know it's time to head over to the chem Lab. you'd better get a move on!" Shirley shouted.

"Oh crap, it's my turn to set up for class!" Lelouch shouted then ran away in a panic, before Kallen could stop him.

For the rest of the day when Lelouch wasn't focusing on his studies or committing what Kallen told him to memory Lelouch racked his brain to figure out what had happened. Despite all his intelligence which he was famous for, Lelouch couldn't crack the secrets of his geass. All because of one simple fact, he knew practically nothing about it.

* * *

At the end of the day Lelouch came home, he made a promise to someone. As he approached the door to the dining room he heard two people conversing.

"What shall we do? He may be late again this evening."

The first was the maid Sayoko Shinozaki. She was on loan to them from the Ashford family. Over the years Lelouch had learned to put a lot of trust in her.

"I'll wait; he said we'll have dinner together tonight."

The second belonged to the most precious person to Lelouch, his little sister Nunnally.

In the dining room they were doing an old Japanese activity to pass the time.

"There now, this one's finished."

"Oh?" Ms. Sayoko then gently placed the folded paper creation in her hands. "A bird?" she asked after getting a feel for its shape.

"Yes, it's a crane."

"Amazing! The Japanese are so skillful." then she turned to face the door.

"Lady Nunnally?" the maid asked.

Then as if on cue her older brother Lelouch walked through the door and happily said. "I'm home. Sorry I'm so late."

"Hi Lelouch. Welcome home." no matter what kind of day it was Nunnally was always happy to hear her older brother.

"Yes, welcome home my lord." Ms. Sayoko added after standing up to bow.

"No place like it Sayoko, right Nunnally?"

Lelouch took a good long look at his little sister. It had been over seven years since the 'incident.' the terrorist attack that claimed their mother and Nunnally's ability to walk. Her eye sight was quick to follow as the trauma was too much for a seven year old girl to take and her violet eyes would close forever since then. Her light brown hair had grown out over the years, reaching well past her shoulders and down her back.

* * *

In a secure bunker deep in the Tokyo settlement, general Bartley was meeting the late prince's secret R&amp;D group. Giving them the bad news.

"As you know the project was a complete failure. There for, this research division is being gutted."

"But sir!" one of the young scientists said, as everyone suddenly looked very scared.

Their operation was black ops, and worse, an unsanctioned one. With the prince dead their protection was gone. Even worse, after all their work they had nothing to show for it. This would most likely mean arrests, if not execution.

"Relax," Bartley said "I've set up a place for you at Narita. Move everything out there. While we have no memory of it, fact is I and the other staff officers left prince Clovis on his own." The whole thing was still a mystery, all he remembered from it was a soldier walking in and then they were all outside the mobile fortress. "I'm going to be called out on the carpet for this."

Everyone gave a slight shudder at that remark. The carpet Bartley had referred to was the long stretch of carpeting that lead right to the foot of the emperor's throne. A place praised by his favored and feared by the despised.

"Understood sir! We'll start prepping immediately." the lead scientist said before the meeting finally ended.

As they all got up and began the business of dismantling their Laboratory, a camera in a wall mounted terminal used for video communications shut off.

"That's another black ops R&amp;D research group for the watch list." Phillips said to himself as he added the project named code R to the government secrets list. "This one gets to be rather high on that list as well. I mean immortal soldiers? Unbelievable."

* * *

"Ms. Sayoko was just teaching me about origami. Fold a piece of paper the correct way and you can make birds, bouts, almost anything."

During her recounting of her day Nunnally was getting so excited she started to spill the soup they were having for dinner.

"Easy there, you don't have to tell me everything at once. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"Yea your right, thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"I'm so happy, because last night you scared me a little."

For a moment Lelouch paused. "Did I? Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind that all."

Nunnally knew her brother well enough to catch more meaning to those words than he let on. So she decided to change the subject.

"Hey, they say if you fold a thousand of these cranes your wish will come true. So if there's anything at all that you've been wishing for..."

More than a handful of ideas came to his mind but Lelouch kept them to himself and simply answered "Not really, what about you? Do you wish for anything?"

"I wish the world was a gentler place." Nunnally said after giving it some thought

"When the day finally comes when you can see again it will be."

"Really?"

"I promises." he knew she couldn't see but Lelouch smiled all the same for her sake, but he knew there was more to it. Living in hiding like the were limited their options for the future. It is only thanks to the Ashford family that they were able to live happily like this for the past seven years, but Lelouch knew it couldn't last forever.

* * *

"Must you spend the night there? There are cots back on the ship." Phillips asked as Noble Six moved another crate into place, finishing his special duck blind. While he could keep the active camo running all night it was starting to tax his power supply. He'd only been able to keep it running this long by shutting down his shields.

"A tempting offer but the armor still needs a few more tweaks before I can leave." Six said as he tested the crate lid that would act as the door. So far everything was working order. Then came the final touch, a low powered flashbang, UNSC grunts called them party crackers. Primarily used on soft targets or taining exercises, during spartan boot camp his brothers and sisters would rig a collection of them to a trip wire ring as a early warning system.

"Fine, just don't do anything stupid." The AI said before signing out for the night.

"Like forgeting to add land marks and room nubers to the ATLAS's map of the school." Weather the AI heard Six's final coment remained unanswered, not that the spartan cared. After finding Kallen the spartan had spent the rest of he day getting turned around by the fact that he had no way of telling which room was what and where. After bumping into fourteen kids, knocking over seven teachers, walking into two girls bathrooms, and quite sure he stepped on the janitor's foot. He raided a school locker for a student hand book, with a school map in the back.

* * *

The next morning was a light blur for Lelouch. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings since he was focused solely on his new source of power." This is the only weapon I have, but I don't even know how to use it."

So far he could still count the number of times he used it on one hand. Yet no number could cover the questions about it. Is it running out? Could it only be temporary? Is it already gone? What are its limits?

Right at that moment his history teacher, moving between class rooms, decided to get him focused on the real world. "Lelouch! Class will be starting any minute you know. Better get a move on."

"Yes sir." at that moment Lelouch decided now was a good a chance as any to find out more.

"Um sir, what are the topics going to be for the essays on your next exam?"

* * *

In the Britannian consulate's medical ward, Jeremiah entered the recovery room of the lone survivor of the butchered team.

She was a total mess. The damaged leg had to be amputated since the bones in the knee had resembled a mix of sand and crushed gravel. The broken limb was in a cast as it should be but…

She didn't want to sit still, every time one of the doctors or nurses moved she'd whip around to focus on them, watching them move. Waiting for something unexpected to happen

The margrave could have waited, could have come back after the woman had calmed down, but a great man had been killed and he wanted answers. So Jeremiah calmly asked the woman a simple question. "Soldier what happened out there?"

Yet the margrave's question seemed only to invoke only more fear in her. "I… I don't really know. We were lining up e… el…" she started to say elevens like most Britannian would but she stopped herself, scared again like a child about to be struck for saying a bad word before continuing, "people for execution when we were attacked."

"Who were they? Were they locals? Terrorists? Could you tell what group they were from?"

The soldier could only shake her head no and said "I only remember how many. Just one."

"One? Just one eleven did all this?"

"It was no man. It was… a mon- no, a demon! It was around us, among us. Barely there one second then gone the next. We all unloaded over a dozen clips and…" she got quiet all of a sudden. Jeremiah slowly moved closer. Then she reached out with her good arm grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him in with a strength Jeremiah had never seen before as she shouted. "It Would Not DIE!

"Get a hold of yourself soldier." Jeremiah shouted as he struggled to free himself from her iron grip.

Then her grip suddenly loosened as her eye lost their focus. Her heart monitor followed next as the beats became increasingly erratic, then dangerously, slow.

"She's going into shock!" a nurse shouted as she pushed the margrave away to preform CPR.

Jeremiah had heard about soldiers that narrowly survived a battle. Or been seriously injured and how some had been unhinged by the experience. Had he not read her file before coming here he would not have believed she was a soldier.

The soldier would live, but that would be the last time anyone would ever hear her speak.

* * *

Back at school Kallen began her routine of checking in with Ohgi.

"So, how's campus life treating you?" He asked.

"Stifling. I was stuck in history class yesterday. Look maybe I should head back." it wasn't that Kallen didn't like going to school, lately she was just feeling crowded. Like she'd acquired an extra shadow.

Sadly the news Ohgi gave was unsatisfactory. "The army is on high alert right now. Stay there and let things cool off."

"But what about the voice on the radio? Or the thing that destroyed the tank?" she asked.

"Can't go looking for either of them right now. Besides Naoto would be happy to see you back in school. Forget about Shinjuku for now. I'll be in touch."

Kallen calmly put her phone away. "Shinjuku. I guess he's right but..."

Then she suddenly remembered that kid Lelouch saying not to talk about Shinjuku. Why would he say something like that unless he knew more than the others? Plus now that she thought about it there was something in of that tone of his she recognized.

"No, it couldn't have been his voice."

* * *

Down under the school Noble six and Phillips had hit the mechanic's jackpot. Just under the school's front lawn was the knightmare hanger. It wasn't really that hard to find since the storage area that Noble six spent the night in was right next door.

"This place is amazing. Some of this equipment can only be found in high level machine shops." Six said looking over the tables and storage racks.

"Or is still in development." Phillips added as he watched through the Spartan's camera. Then something in the background, "what's that over there." Six's eyes wandered for a while, Phillips was starting to think he was going to have to point it out. Then he found it, accross the hanger was a line of machines.

"Are those knightmares?" Six asked as he got close enough to use the tech analyzer which answered with a resounding "Yes."

It was a line of MR-1 knightmare frames. Acording to Phillips information, the MR-1 was the base modle for the current knighmare frames. It was also the only model allowed to be used by the civilian sector.

Noble Six then noticed a different machine at the end of he line of MR's. This one had a blue paint job with gold trim, extremely gangly arms, and an open air cockpit. "This must be an old prototype of some sorts."

"That's not all," the AI added as he brought several images of it up next to the 3D rendering on the Spartan's HUD. "Its the Ganymede. The only third generation knightmare still up and running."

Images and news articles zipped through the Spartan's vision, quite a few noted its test pilot, knight of 6 Marianne Lamperouge. The spartan however just rolled his eyes as he removed the images from his vision as the articals got to be more about her, the last one he saw was a pointless piece about a promotion to knight of two and marrige to a member of the royal family. However all they had really done was find an obsolete wind up toy. It was then something familiar caught Noble Six's eyes. On the table next to him was a heavy power ratchet head. Within seconds Six was applying it to the mjolnir's chest plate.

"What are you doing?" Phillips asked as the armor from the uper torso fell to the floor.

"Contrary to popular belief it is possible to develop an itch in this armor." But that wasn't why Six had removed that section of his armor, "Also the armor's reactor output has been fluctuating since last night. I need to make sure it doesn't become a problem."

* * *

Up above, Lelouch was getting ready to confront his latest problem.

"Hey Lulu you coming along?" Shirley asked as everyone in the classroom began moving on to their after school activities.

"Sorry, maybe some other time." he replied before standing up and walking over to a different group of girls. The red head in the center was his target.

"Hm? What's up?" Kallen asked

"You think you could spare a minute. I need to talk to you" he asked, earning gasps from all the girls in the class.

"Sure" she said before standing up "I was wondering when you were going to ask."

This earned more shocked gasps from the girls, especially Shirley. She watched in shock as Kallen got up and followed him out.

As they walked Kallen noticed they were going to the Student government building. This wasn't unusual since the student council meets there all the time. However the inside was new to her. "I didn't even know this room existed" she commented looking around the vaulted room.

"It's the clubhouse for the student council, they built it as a ballroom for various special occasions." he explained.

"And we won't be disturbed inside here?" she asked as she turned to face him.

"Yes, that is correct" he replied.

That was where fate seemed determined to prove him wrong.

"Here it is" they heard a feminine voice shout from above. The two of them turned to look at the balcony above to see Shirley holding up what looked to be a really tiny computer chip. "This is it right?"

"What a relief you found our lab data" Nina said as she appeared next to her.

"Good my ass is killing me" Rivalz complained as he stretched his back getting up.

Suddenly the down stairs door opened revealing Milly in an apron pushing a trolley full of food out.

"Where you able to find it?" she asked "I finished up on my end, shall we dig in?"

"Oh wow" Rivalz commented looking at the spread.

"Way to go Milly" Shirley said.

"You adore me I know" Milly giggled as She proceeded to put the food on a table.

"Um, what is all of this?" Lelouch asked, as far as he knew the nearest party was going to be at the end of next week.

"Lelouch don't you know, I thought that was why you brought her. We're inducting Kallen into the student council. It was my grandfather's idea." Milly explained.

"The principles?" this was news to Lelouch. Although it wasn't the first time a decision was made and he didn't know about it.

"He thought it best because of her poor health; she would have a harder time with regular club activities." Then she realized they had yet to introduce herself to their new member. "Oh I'm Milly, the president of the council. Pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, thank you, the pleasures all mine" Kallen said, bowing her head gently. As each member introduced themselves she memorized their features.

"I'm Rivalz, the secretary. If there is anything you need help with I'm your man." Kallen had seen him around before. He'd started to get the reputation for being a bookie and information broker.

The next one was the same girl that had called Lelouch from the window the other day.

"Hi I'm Shirley and I'm a member of the swim club. Welcome." Kallen recognized her by the long orange hair that traveled down her back.

The last girl Kallen only knew by reputation as the smartest student in school.

"Um Hi there, my names Nina." she was a small timid girl with thick glasses and dark hair braided into two long pigtails that reached just past her thin shoulders.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Kallen replied.

Then another new person entered followed by the smell of pizza. "Shirley, I'm sorry but do you think you could set this up on the table for me."

Kallen turned to find a young girl in a wheelchair, which she guessed was blind, since her eyes were closed. She had a kind sweet voice.

"Oh sure, thanks Nana." Shirley said as she moved the food to the table.

"Nunnally, what are you doing here?" asked Lelouch.

"This is Lelouch's sister" Milly said, introducing her to Kallen.

"I'm still in middle school group, so I can't be on the council yet" Nunnally explained.

"That's alright, you're an honorary member in our book" Rivalz said.

"Hello there, it's a pleasure to meet you Kallen." Nunnally said welcoming her.

"Thank you. You as well." Kallen replied honestly. She didn't quite understand it, but when Nunnally had entered the room she seemed to bring with her an aura of peace with her.

Suddenly a thump went down on a table. They turned to find Rivalz with a bottle in his hands.

"Right then. Shall we kick this off with a toast" he asked.

"Huh champagne?" Shirley said, more from shock than curiosity.

"Yeah but we're on the student council. We shouldn't" Nina mumbled.

"Aw come-on, loosen up you guys." Rivalz joked as he started pulling on the cork.

"No Way, we're going to get in trouble!" Shirley made a grab for the bottle and ended up having a fight with Rivalz over it.

"What's going on?" Nunnally asked, hearing the sound of the two struggling for control.

"Here Nunnally" Milly said putting a glass of juice in her hand.

"Lelouch heads up!" Rivalz shouted and chucked the bottle in the air. It was then caught by Lelouch on the way down.

Shirley ran towards Lelouch and tried to grab it off him.

"You're not getting away with this either Lulu!"

Unfortunately they lost their balance together and fell over, causing the pressure in the bottle to fire the cork straight at Kallen.

On reflex she swiped it out of the air, but unfortunately she could not stop the sparkling wine that followed it out and drenching her, from head to toe.

A feat that caught everyone by surprise.

* * *

In apology Milly and Shirley took Kallen's clothes to the girl's dorm washer while she cleaned up at the club house. While the maid would find some replacement clothes.

'This is why I hate Britannians.' Kallen thought as she scrubbed the sticky substance from her body.

Truth be told it wasn't just one thing she didn't like about Britannians, there was a list, and an underage Britannian student bring alcohol to school was her latest addition.

A knock at the door then pulled her from her personal gripping.

"It's Lelouch, I brought you a change of clothes." he said through the door.

"You can come in. I've drawn the curtain already." she replied.

"Uh, sorry about all this. I know they can be a little over the top." he said as he walked in.

"That's okay, nothing wrong with cutting lose every once in a while."

"These're some of my cloths, hope that's okay." Lelouch said as he placed them in the basket next to the curtain.

"It's alright." Kallen assured him, honestly not that concerned, as she'd worn her brother's old clothes on more than one occasion while out with Ohgi and the others durring her extra long sick leaves. However something was off, "That was fast. You went all the way to the boy's dorm?"

"Actually, I live here." Lelouch said, causing her to pause in silent shock. "It'd be pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms. The principle of the school lets us stay here as a favor."

"I see."

"Anyway..." Lelouch got up to leave.

"Hey wait!" she called out, pausing the teen in his steps again. Extending her hand past the curtain "Can you hand me that pouch over there?" pointing to it on the counter.

"Sure." The pouch was a small pink purse the size of a cell phone. Too small to hold anything important, or dangerous to the unsuspecting eye.

However as soon as his hand passed the curtain Kallen grabbed his wrist with enough force to knock the pink item from Lelouch's hand. "You really are a live wire aren't you." he said, her hold was uncharacteristic of a sickly person, She must mean business.

"Were you the one in Shinjuku?" she said almost gritting her teeth.

By the sound of Kallen's voice she was restraining herself from beating the answers from him. She had made the connection just as he feared but he was not about to admit anything just yet.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb!" she growled, "You brought up Shinjuku the other day, why?"

"Why do you ask?" he said, sounding as confused as ever. "Is there something wrong with Shinjuku?"

"Don't answer my question with another question! Yes or no, that's all I want to hear out of you." Kallen's thumb pressed a hidden switch under the fabric that revealed that the pouch held a switch blade inside. Perhaps she needed to provide a better incentive for him to start talking.

Then the phone on the wall next to the shower started to ring. Kallen had every intention of ignoring it.

"If I don't answer it, someone will come. That okay." The teen informed her, looking into her eyes to show his sincerity, even as he reached back with his free hand, bringing the wall phone to his ear "Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council…" he frowned "No, this is…oh…"

Kallen frowned, only to blink as Lelouch held the phone to her through the curtain "It's for you." The violet eyed teen informed her, "He says he knows you."

Kallen took the phone from him, a list of people who knew how to reach her here passing through her mind as she spoke the greeting. "Hello?"

"Glad you're still alive Q1." a familiar voice answered.

A quick gasp escaped the half breed's lips. It was the voice from Shinjuku

'Was I wrong?' she quickly looked back at Lelouch to make sure it was actually him.

"1600 hours the day after tomorrow. The observation deck at Tokyo tower, come alone."

Kallen had almost missed those instructions but she missed the click of the caller hanging up. So she tried to get more information. "Who are you? How did you arrange that Cease-fire order?" her response was silence.

"Don't hang up!" she shouted, but it was already too late.

"Did you say cease fire? Sounds like you keep dangerous company." Lelouch said as she had let go of his hand.

"Um... that was... Uh..." if her cover hadn't been blow it was now.

"Let me guess. You're talking about a game? Something on line?"

Or maybe not.

"Yea you got me. Cuse I've been shut up in my house so long..." while she sounded calm, the young terrorist was struggling to hide the relief in her voice.

"That's what I was warning you about, when I brought up Shinjuku before. Seriously, some guys will try to show you some footage and its pretty dam grim." Lelouch then turned his head. "By the way," doing his best to face away from her. "You know I can see you, right?"

Kallen blinked, then gazing down to find that she'd pulled the curtain back a little TOO far with the phone cord. Even standing with her back to Lelouch, she was standing in plain sight, completely naked.

She screamed in embarrassment and pulled the curtain closed again, then curled up into a ball.

"Um, I won't tell anyone. Later." Lelouch said, leaving as quickly and politely as he could.

When he was gone Kallen Finally admitted it. "I was wrong."

Once Lelouch left the shower room and given the severely embarrassed girl her privacy. He moved two rooms over to where Sayoko was standing, holding a phone in one hand, a hand held audio player in the other, and a blank look on her face and a red glow in her eyes.

He'd been extremely lucky when Milly offered to let Kallen use the shower while she and Shirley wash her uniform. While they were busy Lelouch then ambushed the maid and used his power to make her play a recording at a set time. He'd been really lucky with the timing, another minute and he felt that Kallen just might have gutted him.

Once Lelouch retrieved the recorder and phone and left, the red glow left Sayoko's eyes, leaving her wondering what was going on.

* * *

Back in the Tokyo CSI labs in a section reserved for military investigations. Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald entered the medical investigation suit for an update about the dead soldier's autopsy.

"So what can you tell me about what happened to these people?"

"Very little I'm afraid. These bodies here have injuries that have only been found in shrapnel blasts." the ME said leading Jeremiah over to several tables "But instead of sharpened bits of broken metal I found these lead pellets. I have no idea what kind of weapon could do that. The closest I can come to for the blast battern is a blunder bus, but those have been out of use for centuries. However the cause of death for the others gets even weirder.

"Take the bloody Swiss cheese over on these tables for example. Their bodies may have been pierced with these metal spikes," the ME handed Jeremiah one of the sharpened metal shafts. "But each entry wound is also a third degree burn. Those spikes were white hot when they hit these people."

Jeremiah was unnerved by this brutal cause of death. The pain the soldiers must have experienced as they were hit. "What kind of metal are they made of?"

The coroner didn't have an answer for him. "The guys at the lab haven't figured it out. At first they thought it was steel. Yet the material is both too light and too hard. They're thinking it might be a composite metal of some sort."

This troubled the margrave greatly. None of these kills could made by terrorists, and the list of other groups, and nations, which could have done it, was quickly vanishing. Then he noticed several more bodies.

"What about these three?"

"Ah," the medical examiner had almost forgotten them. "That there's the last bunch. These two were cut open with a knife, but I've never seen one that can cut through a helmet like that."

The doctor handed the margrave the mentioned helmet that had a line cut through the top. If the cut was just a few inches longer, that helmet could have been split in two.

"This is the one that really scares me, because the closest case I've ever seen was in a movie."

At first Jeremiah couldn't see what he was referring to. The body was opened up for all to see, then the coroner closed up the Y incision in the corps' chest and the margrave took an involuntary step back. There was a half foot hole in that man's upper torso.

"Someone actually reached into this guy's chest and pulled out his heart."

Despite all the carnage he had seen in his life and service to the crown the margrave was starting to feel, sick. Weapons that could rip through body armor like butter. An invisible soldier that could not be touched and able crush bone into powder. What could it be, and where could it be hiding?

The coroner then walked over to one final table with a sheet covering the body on it. "We haven't gotten to this one yet. However preliminary analysis shows two hooks like blades were run into his back, and then forcibly yanked out. Taking out a good chunk of the kid's back and spine with it."

Margrave Jeremiah decided to leave until new information could be found and give his stumach a chance to settle. As he stopped at the door before it opened the doctor said something that would greatly bother him. "I've been around the block a few times seen a lot of things. Yet in over fifteen years of cutting, pulling, and identifying things from corpses, I've never seen anything like this."

* * *

Once Kallen had finish her shower an Lelouch was sworn to secrecy about what happened during it. He started to tell her what to expect from being in the student council.

"The council doesn't require much actual work I guess. Beyond the occasional paperwork, we'll sometimes plan school events."

"So you mean like the culture festival?"

"Yup, like that, along with the cross dressers ball, the absolute silence party and swimsuit day." Lelouch continued.

Kallen just gave him a funny look. "What's up with that?"

"Blame our president" Lelouch replied with a grin as they reentered the ball room. "You'll be spending a lot of time with her. I hope you're ready."

However the room's spirit was hardly joyous.

"Lelouch it's awful" Nunnally shouted.

"What is?"

The rest of the student council were in front of the large television in the room. Milly was the first to answer.

"Prince Clovis has been found dead."

"They're saying he was killed." Rivalz added.

Kallen and Lelouch looked shocked. Only thing was, her shock was real.

"We now go live to Margrave Jeremiah" the announcer said before the picture changed to a stage filled with Britannian soldiers wearing the mark of the pure bloods on their sleeves.

The margrave was standing behind a podium in the center. Giving his speech.

"Prince Clovis has been taken from us. He fought for peace and justice against all of the elevens. He died a martyr. We must all bury our sorrow and carry on his will."

Deep in the school's knightmare hanger Noble Six came to a halt. "Martyr, him? There's an excuse to kill someone if I ever heard one."

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring breaking news. The man suspected as the murderer has been captured. According to the report the suspect is an honorary Britannian."

"Private Suzaku Kururugi, a former eleven and honorary Britannian. I repeat Suzaku Kururugi arrested for murder." the news caster reported.

* * *

Down in the knighmare hanger Phillips was showing the spartan the same news report.

"Isn't that the kid you found in Shinjuku?" Phillips asked.

The kids face was smuged, brused, and Six was sure he could see a line of blood from his mouth. "Yea that's him all right."

"Not for a minute. His apprehension happened too quick, if his capture happen a few days from now... maybe, but him? No.."

"And what makes you so sure?" Phillips asked as the boy Suzaku got smacked again on screan.

I've... been present for my share of interrogations. I've seen people put away for stuff they didn't do, mostly because I was the one who did it. You don't forget the look in their eyes as they're taken away, and I see that now with him. Plus for the obvious reason he's a private, that boy's probably never been in the same garason as the viceroy."

While Noble Six began reattaching his chest plate and reactor pack, Phillips hit the spartan with a curve ball. "Did you have anything to do with it? I did lose contact with you."

"No!" Six said as he tightened the last bolt on his armor. "Now let's find that pilot from Shinjuku."

* * *

A half hour latter Milly decided to take a bath back at girl's dormitory, and invited the other girls in the student council to join her.

"Sorry about earlier. We tried to throw a great welcome party for you but it never really went anywhere." Milly said to Kallen as they all relaxed in the tub.

"Oh yeah? I didn't see anything wrong." not that she really wanted a party anyway.

"After the news about prince Clovis being assassinated nobody feel much like partying."

"Well I guess it's alright, b-but why invite everyone for a bath, and why ask me to come along? I was just in the shower after all."

The bath in question was actually more like a two foot deep full-sized swimming pool, ringed with a hanging garden supported by dozens of ten foot pillars.

"Oh this is just a sort of informal gathering. A little meet and greet.

In. The. Flesh. Sort of speak. Besides if you had gone home wearing Lelouch's cloths there's at least one person who'd be very worried about it." Milly then turned to the one girl that was starting to fidget as she talked about the vice president. "Right, Shirley?"

"Madam President why are you bringing that up?" the subject of her feelings for him was always a touchy subject "Although when I think about it Lulu did act kind of weird when the news broke, like his mind was somewhere else."

"Well nana was listening too."

"Oh I thought that was kind of strange. It's really obvious how he treats his sister so differently than the way he treats me."

"He loves his little sister more than anything. That must make it hard for certain people, huh?"

Those that knew the student council president well enough realized that Lelouch was almost oblivious to any girl other than his sister. However Milly's words were meant to convey a different message about someone else in the bath.

"Why are you looking at me when you say that?" Shirley asked, her face turning red once again.

"With that killer body. You're such eye candy Shirley; it should just hit him in the face. bu-bu-boing! Shouldn't it?"

Every time Milly smiled, Shirley felt like a piece of meat being eyed by a ravenous wolf.

Something that made the self-conscious girl feel even more exposed. "Could you not look at me like that?"

"Aw come on, it's no big deal."

"Yes it is. Anyway you're the girl with the well-built proportions aren't you?"

"Oh am I?" Milly said standing up, giving everyone an unobscured view of her body.

"Um maybe you should just sit back down." Nina said, slightly embarrassed by the sight.

"Yes..." Shirley added.

"Exactly..." Kallen then focused on the computer girl as if she just appeared. "Wait is that you Nina? You seem so different without your glasses."

This was quite true. Without the glasses and her hair let free from the braids she normally wore, the little computer girl was practically transformed. From a book worm into a butterfly.

Milly couldn't help but point this out to anyone new that had the chance to see her like that. "Doesn't she? I've been telling her to get contacts since forever. You little cutie."

Nina's face turned even redder. "Millie cut it out."

"Since forever?" Kallen was shocked, just how long they have known each other.

"We grew up together. My grandfather work for a company owned by Millie's grandfather." Nina said, fidgeting under Kallen's curiosity.

"They Developed knightmares." Milly explained.

"Ashford?" then it all finally clicked for Kallen. "Wait you mean the ones that developed the Ganymede and Ioh series?"

Since becoming a knightmare pilot Kallen had become fascinated by the machines and began looking into their history.

"Wow you really know a lot about it. Those models were canceled at the prototype stage."

Kallen realized she might have let something slip that Milly had picked up on.

"Uh, I must of read about them somewhere." that was true. "That's really all I know about them." that was mostly true.

"Well anyway, they never made it into production. The research cost kept growing and growing until the company went bankrupt."

"I'm sorry Millie, it was all my grandfather's fault." Nina said timidly acting like it was a big deal.

"I keep telling you that's not true, grandfather went broke because he was too extravagent." Milly said trying to keep the recored strait.

"Extravagent?" Kallen asked.

"He'd throw wild partys that would last for days, they were legendary. No mater what it was always party time." the prez let out a Sigh " well at least his party conections payed off later. thats how he came over to this contry and became princable of this school."

"Wow you sure inherated his love of partys huh madam president?"

"I guess so. You can only be this care free when your students ya know?" Milly then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh Kallen! are you free the day after tomarrow, after school?"

"The day after tomarrow? I'm not sure, oh no I can't."

Kallen remembered that the other half of her life had an apointment then.

"Oh going out?"

"Well at four pm I'm going to Tokyo towe- a-choo." that was all she wanted anyone there to know about her plans.

"Well... okay, we can just do it now! I want to get your mesurments."

"Huh!" Kallen got nervous at that request.

"We make Costumes all the time for special events don't you know."

Kallen did not like where this was going.

"Uh You don't mean like... cosplay do you?"

"Bingo!" Milly said with a smile.

"No thanks." she flatly denied, but Milly wasn't a girl who takes no for an answer.

"Oh don't be shy it's just us girls here after all. So, Shirley."

"Sorry Kallen," The orange haired teen apologised right before locking Kallen's arms in a full Nelson, "I got her pinned."

'I don't need to see this.' Noble Six thought as he balanced on his perch just above the high schoolers.

'And yet, I know quite a few guys who would kill for this.'

He still wasn't quite sure how he had been hearded into the comunal bath area. All he wanted was to plant a nanobug on the red head Kallen. However the locker room's design didn't allow him anywhere to move out of the way and let them through. Not without one of them bumping right into him.

As Noble Six continued to balance on his perch he started to notice a crunching sound under his feet. He then realized the stone ledge he was standing on had finally started to give way under his wheight.

'Oh crud.'

And finally it did. For five seconds he felt the weight of the world as he began plumiting towards the water.

The second he hit the water Six jumped for all he was worth.

The incident would go down in school history as a piece of masonry braking off the bath's uper wall and leaving a dent in the bath floor in the shape of a oversized boot print.

It would go down in history as One in a long list of weird things that would plague the school for the months to come.

* * *

Later that night Lelouch's mind was in a tailspin about the accusations against Suzaku.

In the dinning room he paced like mad.

"Shouldn't I be happy at this news?" he said out loud since no one was there to hear him now. "Suzaku is still alive. But why is he being arrested in my place?" He wouldn't admit it but it made perfict sence, infact he expected the remaining heads of state to pull something like this. But Lelouch had not factored his friend being in the middle of it. Now there was only one thing he could think of. "I have to save him, I don't care what it takes."

"How interasting."

The ex prince quickly stopped and turned around. At the opened door to the patio he saw the same green haired girl that had come from the fake gas capsule. Alive and breathing.

"How's the power I gave you? Do you like it?" she said.

Lelouch was struggling for words. "You... I thought... You were dead!"

And she should be, she took a bullet to the head!

"My lord." The maid Sayoko said, causing the shift from bad to worse as she entered the dinning room from the hall.

"AH, " Lelouch quickly did a double take at the maid's sudden entrance. Because the second he took his eyes off the girl she disapeared. "Yes Sayoko what is it?"

"Lady Nunnally is still upset by the broadcast cocerning the viceroy and... she has... asked... for... you."

The maid's eyes scanned the room, slowly, methodically, for a whole minute she stairs at the girl's hidding spot. Then she just smiled, turned around, and left.

It unnerved the boy just a little that Sayoko's smile mattched mischievous one Milly gave perfictly. However he didn't have to worry too much, unlike the gossip queen Milly, Sayoko loved to keep secrets.

After the near miss with the maid Sayoko entering the dinning room Lelouch stashed the strange girl in his room. Once Nunnally was asleep he wanted answers.

"Now who are you!? I thought you died that day."

"Who knows? You can just call me C.C." she said in a impassive tone, something that seemed to throw the prince off.

Leleouch couldn't get this girl. No name, just letters. "what is this power that you gave me!?"

"I thought that you were seeking power. Did you not need it?"

"Yes." Lelouch said showing some gratatude in his voice.

"Then what's the problem? I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." she immediately slipped out of her strait jacket and under the covers of his bed. Much to the boy's disapproval.

"Hey! Aren't you wanted by the Britannian forces? I don't want you staying here! And don't sleep on my bed!"

However loud his complaints were, she continued to do as she pleased. "You can take care of one girl, can't you? Good night, Lelouch."

'She's planning to stay here?' then the second she rolled over he realized, "She's asleep already..."

Lelouch finnaly gave into his exaustion and decided to find a place on the couch in his room. He had a lot to think about now and little time to act. Sleep would be needed if anything would be done to fix it.

* * *

**So, I feel like I went all over the place with this chapter. Altough this one could be my longest one yet. **

**So far my reviewers haven't been too negative in their comments, at least none of the new ones.**

**One other note, more time will start pass between chapter posts.**


	5. Turn 4

Turn 4

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong

Extreme version:

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the FIRST to go wrong

\- Murphy's fourth law

* * *

In the Interrogation room, margrave Jeremiah was painting a picture. It was Suzaku's hand in the viceroy's murder, and if lies were paint, then margrave Jeremiah had up ended the bucket.

"Do you know anything about this weapon Suzaku Kururugi? It was the one used to rob Prince Clovis of his life. The barrel striation leaves no doubt and we've done a little bit of homework on you as well. You are the eldest child of Japan's last acting prime minister are you not? Your motive here is clear."

Suzaku was quick to realize why the military police had dragged him from his bunk, tied up, and dropped in an interrogation room. The margrave was putting the blame on his shoulders, But Suzaku wasn't the killer.

"You're making a mistake I've never even laid eyes on that gun-" he never finished that sentence as one of the guards clocked him so hard he flew out of his chair.

Margrave Jeremiah continued like nothing had happened. "We found your fingerprints all over this weapon you're also suspected of murdering members of the royal guard. Come clean now and you'll be judged as though you were born a Britannian, not some worthless 11."

"You're wrong, I've done nothing-" Suzaku was cut-off again as the guard kicked him in the gut.

* * *

Back aboard the nameless UNSC shuttle, Noble Six was going over the latest developments in the political landscape with Phillips help.

"According to the news reports, it was a private Suzaku Kururugi who killed this prince Clovis."

"Have you got files on them?" Six asked looking over the current family tree of the royal family. Phillips was still compiling information on the royal family at the Spartan's request. Since Britannia operated under the power of a ruling class, Six wanted to know the line of succession.

"Yes I've downloaded them to your tacpad."

Six checked the screen on his arm. "Good to know. Now, there's another detail I've been missing, who are you?"

Phillips hologram did a double take.

"Pardon? I don't understand?"

"There were a few thing wrong with our meeting." Six took out his M6C and pointed it at the shuttles main Cristal processor.

"Whoa, Whoa! What are you doing? You need me!"

"Do I now? I don't care what kind of programing you have, no research AI would be put in charge of flying a black listed shuttle when the crew bought it. Nor would they say a Spartan's name out loud when it Address one for the first time."

Phillips tried to reason with the suspicious Spartan.

"Listen I know how this sounds but if..."

"What Are You?!" Six pulled the M6C's slide back and chambered a round.

"My name and serial number are real!" the AI said, finally coming clean.

"But?"

"I'm not one of the AIs that helped the researchers. I was one of the AIs being made by them. My original function was to be an infiltration and data recovery unit. Until Dr. Halsey hijacked the program for her Spartan project. I was slated to be shelved and put into storage until either somebody decided to pick me apart or just plain dispose of me. However unlike most of the smart AIs, I was scared at the time and traded places with one of the dumb AIs. Since then I've been hiding out in any server with enough storage space to hold me.

Six's demeanor didn't change. "This doesn't explain how I need you."

"There are places you can't go in this world that I can. Also you need a history. Some random guy suddenly appears out of the blue with the ability to do what you can without getting a scratch will more than raise a few questions on any side of the fence."

The Spartan lowered the sidearm a small bit but didn't holster it.

"Plus I have blue prints of nearly every military asset of the UNSC. You'll need those eventually."

Six started to calm down a bit. It was true that details like those would come in handy in the future, and while he wasn't a total neanderthal, his knowledge of quantum mechanics and engineering had severe limits. "How do I trust you?"

"What can I do, that can harm you without condemning myself? I give you up to the Britannians? I'll get caught as well. Leave? Where am I going to go? There's no system that can hold me. Let alone a functioning network I can properly manipulate. I mean have you seen the software tech out there? They have twice the development they should, but barely have half the stuff I need, I mean, networked computers but no Internet? How the hell did they advance this far? If you're that worried about it, strap a c-12 charge with a remote detonator to the ships data crystal core-"

"Alright," six interrupted, finally putting the weapon back on the armor's mag plate. "You've made your point. We're both in the same boat."

"Thank you! Now if-" Phillips note pad suddenly glowed while a loud buzz rang on the ship's speakers.

"What is it now?!" Six said, picking the pistol back up and a M7 SMG.

Relax, is just the alert I set up for when that Kallen kid starts talking... and I forgot to tell you." Phillips face palmed. "Sorry."

The bug that the Spartan had planted on the high-school girl was a special fractal antenna. It could be used in any smart phone, and the reception it gave was much better then the current commercial variety. What made it special was the fractal design had a few extra parts that could send and receive signals that could only be picked up by the Office of Navel Intelligence hardware. Different dimension or not, once you get down to the basic functions, all cell phones are the same.

However the Spartan's attention was elsewhere. "Irrelevant, who is she talking to and what are they saying?"

Phillips put the audio feed on the speakers so he could hear. "I can't, hold on a second. Not now Tamaki! Now what were you saying Kallen?"

The first voice was definitely male, might be some one important, could be her boy friend for all it mattered because what Kallen said next brought everyone to a stop.

"Its him! The one who helped us in Shinjuku, he's going to be at Tokyo tower tomorrow at 1600 hours."

The line was quiet for a few seconds, then Ohgi finally asked, "Is there anything else?"

Then it seemed it was Kallen's turn to go silent.

"Well?"

"He told me to come alone-"

"There Is No Way You're Doing That!" Ohgi said, interrupting her, reminding the Spartan of an older sibling trying to protect the younger. "Your brother wouldn't let you do it alone and I won't either. Which is why I'll bring Kent and Toru with us. We'll meet at the tower entrance half an hour early, OK?"

Got it." She replied, sounding a little re-leaved, before hanging up.

"He's setting up a meet for tomorrow." Noble six said as he began picking out weapons and equipment.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to the meet." Six said as he picked up a brute mauler Before putting it back.

* * *

At the terrorist hideout Tamaki was having one of his famous rants where he'd talk about what they should have done.

"-An that's why we should have issued a frigen statement sooner! We could have taken credit for it!" he finished before storming out of the store room, slash office, Ohgi used.

"Naoto, I'm not cut out for this. I'm no leader." Ohgi sighed looking at an old group photo of himself, Naoto, and Naoto's little sister Kallen.

Until a month ago it was Naoto who was in charge of their resistance group. Since his capture and execution Ohgi had been following Naoto's plan, even the idea to steal the poison gas was part of their late leaders plan.

But now the whole thing had to be thrown out, and Ohgi didn't really know where to go next. The thought of all his friends looking to him... it just made him feel worse.

'What if I fail them again?'

However while Ohgi knew the stress of this job was eventually going to kill him, he had to keep going. Kallen had called and told him that the stranger that helped them wanted to meet. Now he just needed to figure out what to do in-case it was a trap.

* * *

In the ASEEC hanger, Lloyd Asplund was moping from Suzaku's incarceration. "Oh, we've lost the most crucial part of the equation."

"Can we do it without him?" Cecil asked, trying to pull her boss out of his funk.

However her attempts only seemed to twist the knife in the man's side. "Don't I wish. The other units never let go of a good pilot, and even if we got one they'd never match his readings. His operational efficiency clocked in at 94% and you want to replace him?!"

"You should tell them that. Perhaps they'll let Suzaku go."

Lloyd knew in most cases that idea would hold water, but not this time. "He's an honorary Britannian, they'll never listen. Ever since general Bartley's disgrace the pure bloods have the military in an iron grip. With the rather rigid belief that non Britannian's are inferior, their view is one of their own can never be a criminal. But if the criminal is an eleven it paves the way for margrave Jeremiah to shut down the practice of granting natives honorary status."

Ms. Croomy suddenly realized there was a loose end. "But then what about Suzaku?" Lloyd's answer cast a dark shadow on the boy's future.

"His fate is all but decided."

* * *

Tokyo tower was built in 1957 ATB. During the invitation the top half of the structure was blown clear off. Plans were set up to fully restore it but were quickly cut when Clovis took control. The new viceroy quickly shuffled the money into privet pet projects of his own design. However instead of leaving the tower to rot. Clovis converted it into a museum.

"1600 hours at Tokyo tower, why here of all places." Kallen grimaced, trying to blot out the Britannian propaganda that was repeating over the speakers of what had once been called Tokyo tower. Now, it was a museum of the Empire's Victory over the 'unenlightened nation' of Japan. The central platform that once allowed spectators to see the city's original landmarks was now filled with photos of Britannian troops, battlefields, and some of the old weapons of japan on display.

To Britannians, it was a mark of their superiority. To the Japanese, or elevens as they were now branded, it was the insult added to their injuries from the war.

Despite the stranger's request for he to come alone. Ohgi, Yoshida, and Sugiyama were there too for backup. While they all walked around, the Spartan slipped from corner to corner.

An despite his earlier thoughts about the active camo trench coat, it was starting to grow on him. It had dozens of internal pockets for ammo magazines, extra large ones for his armor abilities. at least sixteen magnetic holders for genadies and small fire-arms. And hard point links on the back so he could still link a jet-pack to his armor without covering it up. Its last and best feature was the special memory material it was made from, when activated the coat's surface would change color, pattern, and texture to mimic its surroundings. Its fatal flaws were the price tag, a dozen of these coat would cost the same as one full suit of mojlnir armor, and zero protection from plasma blasts.

So far the Spartan had spent his time trying not to fall asleep, because nothing was happening. Kallen and her three friends had spent most of the time walking around the exhibits, like the spartan, looking for anyone or anything out of the ordinary.

So far there was nothing, then A chime sounded over the intercom. "Attention please, paging Miss Kallen Statfield from the Ashford academy. Your personal item has been turned in at the kiosk on the observation deck. I repeat-"

Noble Six was right behind her as she moved towards the counter while Kallen subtly glanced around. Trying to find anyone who might be watching.

"Hi I'm assuming this phone is yours ma'am." the attendant handed the school girl a black cell phone. The phone was a regular disposable. Easily bought, easily traded, easily gotten rid of, a standard burn phone.

"Is something wrong ma'am, it is yours isn't it?" the attendant asked after seeing Kallen's curious reaction.

"Huh? Yes it is, thank you very much." Kallen then accepted the black phone and walked away.

After a few minutes of wandering around the museum the phone finally rang. 'Zero?' she thought after reading the phone's caller ID.

"Oh yeah, there's no debating it, life is better here thanks to Prince Clovis. I mean it's all due to Britannia that we could rebuild as quickly as before" Ohgi said out loud, making sure to keep Kallen in his field of vision.

Kallen looked out of the corner of her eye at Ohgi, who nodded himself, to signal her it was okay to answer.

"Um...hello."

"I want you to board the outbound train on loop-line 5." The mysterious voice instructed, the sound of a train passing in the background. "And bring your friends." the fact that he knew about Ohgi and the others made Kallen's eyes widen in shock.

"What?...But..." Kallen began but was interrupted when the phone cut off.

"God damn him. He keeps doing that." she cursed quietly.

"Now what is the king up to?" Noble Six said to himself, as he began to follow them back down so they could catch the train before it left.

Then he just as quickly stopped. His objective was to observe the meeting, and while he could follow them, something was off. Why a train car? It was a moving metal box that could be filled with who knows how many strange people. The possibility of a confined space with potential hostiles made using the active camo too risky. This required a change of plans, and Six had a very good idea what to do as he headed to the roof.

* * *

Once aboard the train Kallen and to others kept an eye out for anything and anyone suspicious. Until the burn phone rang again.

"Face forward and look to your right. What do you see?" the voice asked.

"The Britannian city." Kallen murmured, keeping her voice low in case anyone was paying attention as she eyed the urban splendor before her "It was stolen away from us, and built on our sacrifice."

"And on the left?" The voice asked, as Kallen's eyes turned to glare out the opposite window, which displayed a distinct contrast to the other.

"I see OUR city." Kallen muttered, her tone bitter as she gazed upon the gutted remains of what had once been called Tokyo "Remnants of a desecrated city, after the Britannian's sucked it dry."

"Good answer, now make your way to the front of the train." the stranger then hung up again.

As Kallen, Ohgi, Yoshida, and Kento did as instructed they failed to notice the odd behavior of the other passengers. Like blank stairs and passive red glowing eyes.

Up above, Noble Six was using his Spartan training to keep up with them. Since he couldn't ride in the train car like everyone else, the spartan had decided to take an alternative route.

"What are you doing." Phillips asked as Six jumped from one roof to another.

"Recording a conversation." he replied.

Jumping from roof top to roof top to keep tabs on someone might seem stupid. But there's a saying in the military. If its stupid but it works, its not stupid. Since it was working for the spartan, he wasn't questioning it.

Phillips however didn't share Noble Six's feelings. "While trailing our only connection to the terrorist under world?"

Six had heard that tone before from a Sargent that rather played it safe or sorry you're dead. But he wasn't going to pull back. He'd hit the jackpot. "It's the guy from Shinjuku, he's down there."

Phillips got real quiet for a second, and then asked. "What are you planning to do?"

"I tagged the girls phone remember. You have been listening haven't you?"

"Partly, I've been a little busy at the moment."

"Is this going to be a th-"

Noble Six's voice caught in his throat as a metal awning he'd just landed on collapsed right under his feet. While Six had a jet pack and could easily survive a fall from this height without one, he was still in trouble. The ground below was filled with people and the only place he could land on and have the best chance of slipping away were the train tracks. However even with the jet pack he'd still land in the last place he needed to be. Right in the middle of the rebel's meeting.

Hopefully he could delay his landing long enough to better read the situation.

* * *

After pushing their way through a strangely over crowded monorail car, Kallen, Ohgi, Kent, and Yoshida entered the lead cab. An found it to be completely empty, save one lone figure at the front of the car.

"Was it you? On the phone?" Kent asked.

"Well. Was that you in Shinjuku? Was that ceasefire your doing?" Kallen asked again with more force when the stranger did not reply.

The mysterious figure remained still and silent. Whoever it was, was thin with a black cape wrapped around his frame. Making him look like the mythical vampires you hear in the old stories.

"Hey we're talking to you" Yoshida shouted, not being intimidated.

The figure turned around as the monorail's cabin suddenly went dark as it passed through a tunnel.

"What did you think of my little tour of the settlement?" he asked.

"Tour?" Youshida was confused by his term but Kento wasn't buying it. "Aw come on, there's no way it was this joker."

"I wanted you to fully grasp the two, the settlement and the ghetto."

"Yeah we know there's a difference between us and them. A very harsh one and that's why we resist them." Ohgi said.

"You're wrong. Britannia will not fall to terrorism.

"Fall?" Ohgi was rather taken back. Their goal was to free japan, not the down fall of the world's biggest nation.

"It's little better than childish nuisance." Zero said like a father chastising his child. Something Kent didn't take too well.

"What was that? You call us a bunch of kids!"

"You should know your enemy. It is not people, but Britannia itself! It is a war you must wage, but not on the innocent. Take up your sword fight for justice!"

"Oh please, that's all easy enough to say isn't it." Kallen shouted, more than asked. "Hiding behind that mask. Why should we even trust you?"

"She's right. Drop the mask!" Sugiyama demanded.

"Very well, I'll show you. But rather than my face, bear witness to my power. If I deliver to you the impossible, then I might have earned your trust."

No one was really sure what to make of this cryptic offer. There was no questioning what he did for them in Shinjuku, perhaps they should consider it. "Okay," Ohgi said, "we'll list

**CRUNCH**

The cab lurched as something big impacted the roof. Everyone turned just in time to see the car's roof rip open right behind Kallen and her friends.

Everyone watched as something big started to stand up on two legs. Then spoke in an artificial voice.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but I want in."

"Who, or to be more accurate, what are you?" Ohgi asked taking the sight in.

It looked a lot like a knightmare frame. Only smaller and somehow even more intimidating with a long trench coat.

Six took a deep breath. He'd come up with several cover stories since Shinjuku. Many however required their meeting to be on slightly different terms. Where the fact the Spartan could kill them all in a heartbeat was more obvious. A common tactic of gunboat diplomacy.

Something the super soldier was regretting that he didn't have. What was even more regrettable was they all actually started with the same five words.

"I'm a former Britannian soldier…" it was those last two words that got every gun trained on him, and the red-head somehow had produced two firearms from her school uniform.

Six had figured this would be the response and on reflex pulled out two SMG.

"Former! Soldier." he all but shouted. "I came here to talk."

"You could be, but I've seen many forms of armor in their military." Ohgi said keeping his weapon trained on the black and red helmet. "Yours is not one of them."

"That's because I'm an experimental super soldier. Created by science to be the ultimate killing machine. So how about we lower our weapons before I prove it."

"By whom?" Zero asked. "By who's hand were you created?"

"There's not enough time to explain it all. I'm here to help, take it or shoot me now and die where you stand."

"If you want to help then remove your helmet and show us who you are."

"I cannot. Not yet. I have reasons to hide my identity just like you Zero. I killed my handlers to make sure of that. Now," Six then dropped the SMGs "Let's all prove we're not idiots and not shoot each other."

It was then that Kent finally pulled the trigger and put a round right into the giant's head. Or tried, as the metal slug bounced off the invisible shield and flew out through the rail car's window. Everyone saw the golden glow of the shield outline the armored figure for a second.

"Feel better?" six asked the stunned terrorist before taking a step in his direction.

He dropped his gun like a child who'd been caught with his father's tools. The masked stranger and Ohgi followed suit but Kallen waited till the last possible second before putting her guns down.

This thing before them had burst through the ceiling of a moving monorail car, taken a bullet straight to the head and wasn't even scratched, and willingly laid down its arms. If this didn't prove he wanted to talk then nothing would.

"So, who are you?" the man Six suspected was the king asked.

Make that boy; the armor's sensors gave the Spartan enough details about Zero's possible height and build to guess his real age. But that wasn't a detail he needed to focus on now.

"It might be easier to explain what than who, but my name is Noble Six."

"Sounds more like a call sign." Kallen said making sure to catch every detail of this armored behemoth, looking for any aggressive move or potential weakness. "So 'what' are you?"

"In the interest of time I'll give the short version. I'm a super soldier, like I stated before, code-named Spartan."

"Like the Greek warriors, the three hundred. "Ohgi said, catching the reference, "strange since most Britannian military projects use Arthurian titles."

"That's because mine was a black pen operation. And everyone involved in it is now dead."

"Care to elaborate?" the king, now recognized as Zero, asked trying to close the distance.

"Another time," Six said, "but as I said before, whatever this meeting of anti-Britannia individuals is about, I want in. Please?"

"Can we trust you?" Zero asked.

"I've had plenty of chances to kill everyone here since Clovis's little attack in Shinjuku, in fact I'm quite sure I saved everyone here at least once. Taking out that white mech and turning that tank into a pin cushion." Looking at everyone's faces, Noble Six could see the expressions on the three terrorist shift between shock, excitement, and fear. With Zero he had to settle for some very vague body language. He knew there was no guarantee that they would accept him but he made the best impression he could. However the one to settle it came to everyones surprise.

"All right fine!" Ohgi shouted. "If you and Zero want to prove you're worthy of our trust than go ahead, what's the plan?"

Zero looked between the terrorists and the Spartan, taking a good hard stair at the super soldier. Inside the mask like helmet, Lelouch's brain was border-lining on pure chaos. since his slip up with Kallen back at school he'd altered his plans for this meeting twice. The first was to keep Kallen from killing him, the second was to convincer her friends to help him, and now this... thing had all but smashed his plan to pieces. This was a risk, and he hated to take risks, but what choice did he have now? "I guess now the stakes are even higher, I will agree to include you in this plan."

Of all the decisions Lelouch had ever made, only two were made on a gut choice. This would go down as his third. "Now the task at hand will be-"

"The rescue of Suzaku Kururugi?!" Everyone turned to face the spartan again as he'd stopped himself from face-palming with only an inch to spare. "Sorry, continue." He then shut off the speakers so he wouldn't worry about thinking out loud again. A bad habit, easily, picked up when you ware a sound prof helmet most of your life.

"Yes... that will be our goal. Meet me at the edge of the ghetto tomorrow morning and I will explain everything."

Amazingly no one said anything as the train pulled into its next stop. Kallen, Ohgi, and the others slipped back into the previous car and vanished into the masses as they departed.

As the train pulled away, Zero and Noble Six were still in the lead car.

"So, I'm betting the next stop is yours?" Six asked.

"You planning on following me?"

"Tempting... very tempting," Noble Six said as he picked up his SMGs, "but no. I recognize the fact that you're a large unknown factor at play." The spartan then went to the door facing the ghettos. "So I'll actually take my leave here." Then pulled the sliding doors open and jumped out.

* * *

Deep in the Narita mountains.

Colonel Tohdoh's day was getting difficult. The Japanese liberation front had been divided since the announcement of the charges placed against his former disciple. It didn't help that, Like the Japan liberation front, half of him wanted to rescue the boy and bring him into the JLF and protect him. The rest knew there was nothing that could be done for him without jeopardizing their cause.

The bickering between the Higher-ups in front of him, general Katase Tatewaki and general Kusakabe, both commanders of the JLF were grating on Tohdoh's nerves.

"Tohdoh, what are your thoughts?" Kusakabe asked since neither man seemed able to convince the other.

Even after all this time, Tohdoh still cared for his former student like a father. Despite these feelings he held strong. "We should not become involved in this public execution." he answered. As much as he cared for his former student, the risk in such an operation was too great.

Kusakabe sneered in disgust. "That's cowardly! Your Tohdoh the miracle worker right?"

The colonel groaned internally. Miracle worker he was not, in his own eyes at least.

After the battle of Itsukushima he'd been given that title without his consent. He wasn't sure if it was a miracle or dumb luck that bought Japan victory back then, before and after so much defeat.

"There's a difference between miracles and foolhardiness."

* * *

In the Tokyo prison, Suzaku waited. In a few hours he'd be moved to the court house to stand trial. But before that happened the kid would hear the news about a favor he'd ask about prior to his arrest.

"Congratulations! Those two you asked me about weren't on the list of casualties." Lloyd said from his side of the clear Plexiglas wall that separated him from Suzaku's prison cell.

"That's good to hear." Suzaku replied. His friend wasn't dead, that was the best news he'd heard since his incarceration. However that was the extent of his good news.

"Not much luck on your end though. You may be getting a trial but no one's pulling for you certainly."

Despite this grim news the boy still held to his ideals. "But the courts are where truth comes to light." he said.

"I expect there'll be more smoke and mirrors than anything. The truth is scarce as of late." Lloyd said, not trying to hide this grim outlook. To him there was no point, he'd called in every favor, bribe, and legal trick he could to free his new favorite pilot. Nothing worked, the acting consul was determined to see Suzaku convicted. The only thing that could help him now was if the real killer stepped forward, but that was little better than a pipe dream now.

"If that's how the world works then... So be it. I've no regret." Suzaku said with a look of determination.

"Very well then, I guess there's little left I can do here." Lloyd said as he got up and walked out.

'Strange thing for someone his age to say.' he thought to himself 'you'd think he had a death wish.'

* * *

Inside the viceroy's office, margrave Jeremiah Gottswald was in a private meeting with his second in command Villetta Nu.

It was private meetings like this that the rumor mill went full tilt. The most common, and most secret, was that they were lovers. She was the only woman lord Jeremiah seemed to show any interest in, and they were nigh inseparable outside of their knightmare frames.

"Well lord Jeremiah, how does the acting consul's chair feel?" Villetta said as Jeremiah leaned back in the posh chair that once seated the late viceroy Clovis.

"How I'll mannered. Where's that good breeding of yours?"

While she knew it was not his intention, there was a sting to the margrave's words.

"As you know our lineage is different, margrave Jeremiah."

That was the third contributing part to the rumor of them being lovers; Villetta was a commoner by birth. Many secretly suspected she was seducing lord Jeremiah to cement her place in the chain of command. Perhaps even elevate her status, it made sense.

However those rumors couldn't be more farther from the truth. The only spark between them was one of camaraderie.

"Don't say that, with the dawn of the pure blood supremacy. I'll see that you are granted the title of baroness."

"Baroness." she said to herself. Villetta came from a family of commoners, a social status the Nu family has been stuck with since Hawaii became area four and was fully absorbed into the empire. She was the first in her family's generation to be recognized as a full Britannia.

"Knight of honor is a single generation sham title." Jeremiah knew the title was created for commoners so the nobles could justify showing favor individuals with exceptional skills to pilot knightmare frames. But he saw more in Villetta: her skills, her drive, the desire to be the best. They were traits that deserved a greater reward. "You shall be a true noble woman and that will be passed on to your descendants."

"Yes sir!"

"Tomorrow is Suzaku Kurrurugi's execution. I want you to take care of the precession."

Villetta knew he'd assign her that task and planed ahead. "I've already secured the route to the court-house, and coordinated communication with the TV networks. We've also prepared with snipers."

She had finalized everything before coming to Jeremiah's office.

"Good, I can't take any more disgrace. Since I've been involved here I've failed twice to prevent a member of the royal family from being slain."

"Huh?"

Now this was something new to her, there were many stories that surrounded the margrave's own history. None of them made mention of his involvement with the royals.

"It was eight years ago. I had just been given my first assignment. Guard duty at the Aires villa."

"Aires villa, wasn't lady Marian killed there eight years ago?"

"Yes, that night we were given orders to reduce the guard forces to a bare minimum. That's why… we couldn't stop the attackers from breaking in." Jeremiah then started to break out in tears. "It was my first encounter with failure. Since the days of my childhood I've never failed in anything! I was transferred to area eleven. Lady Marian's orphans, prince Lelouch and princess Nunnally both died here. And now prince Clovis… has been slain as well."

This was the first time she had seen her commander cry. He looked so vulnerable, so humbled.

"Lord Jeremiah…"

She knew everything about the incident, because she was also a member of the same guard. She herself idolized the former knight of six. In fact almost every female pilot and soldier did.

"Prince Clovis… Lady Marian… please laugh at my worthlessness! I… I…" Jeremiah finally broke down into tears.

The margrave continued to weep knowing how he repeatedly failed to protect them. Despite all his achievements, his power... the ghosts of his past would not let him rest.

"My lord wipe those tears away, it's not like you to speak this way."

"Yes, yes, you're right." Jeremiah said as he regained his composure. "If my little sister Alisa saw me like this she'd laugh. Indeed, I am a Noble of the glorious house of Gottswald! Once I have avenged prince Clovis, I shall restore honor to my family name! Come! Villetta."

"Sir!"

'I shall seize the future with my own hand, and achieve ultimate success! One day, his majesty's sword will dub me knight of one! Yes, I know that I am worthy. Jeremiah Gottswald will prevail.'

It was a grand dream, the proverbial Holy Grail of military posts, the title gave the owner wealth, fame, and power that could only be surpassed by the emperor himself. Everyone dreamed of it, some attempted to obtain it, but only once could have it at any time and openings were rare. The margrave's goal was high, but he would achieve it, or die trying.

* * *

Publicly, Spartans are seen as super soldiers. While they fill out the role nicely, they know how to do just as much damage outside the spotlight. Since Spartan threes are never meant to see that spot light, they excel in the shadows. Black ops, espionage, assassination, the works. Any mission that requires a black highlighter, they may very well have had used it to put their signature on it somewhere.

As the ignorant throngs below continued to make noise, Noble Six silently creeped along the buildings that lined the pure blood's rout. While the Spartan had expected to be down on the street with the others. Yet Zero had given him the job of finding and removing possible sniper teams. So far six had already found four of them, after each kill he collected their weapons, gear, and ammunition

"I told you this is a bad idea." Phillips said as Six snuck up on another sniper and her spotter.

"You didn't tell me anything." Six said as their necks snapped like tooth picks. It sort of reminded Six of the nightfall mission back on Reach.

"I'm telling you now."

The hype that had been made by the news to the order of the purebloods was reaching its peak as the mobile stage carrying Suzaku traveled down its path towards the court-house. However deep down he agreed with the smart AI, if only the smallest bit. To go through all this to rescue Suzaku Kururugi just to prove a point, there had to be something the spartan was missing.

* * *

Back on the ground in the on site news van, news producer of Hi-TV Diethard Reid had his work cut out for himself.

"Camera fives a little slow, Talk to me Charles, your team been deployed yet?"

Apparently Charles response wasn't the one he wanted to hear.

"What, the studio? Let'em wait, nothings getting pushed back. Everything's going According to plan. Here we go."

The footage on camera three's monitor then picked up and the show was back in sync.

"Like clockwork." Diethard then sighed to himself. 'What a circuses this is, and I'm as corrupt as any of them.'

An a circus it was, practically everyone was on edge. Since the margrave had brought him in on this plan of his, to use the Kururugi boy as bait to lure out the real murderer and anyone else that might try to help the boy.

* * *

At the head of the precession the now acting console Jeremiah Gottswald was loving his newly acquired post. If this plan succeeded he may be allowed stay on as the next viceroy. Or, if god willing, there may be a chance at a promotion to a knight of the round.

However his day-dream got interrupted as the perimeter guard called in.

"Acting console Jeremiah!"

"What is it?"

"Vehicle approaching the main highway from third, we had just let it through as you instructed but..."

That uncertainty in the soldier's voice meant something was happening. "Do you believe the target can be a terrorist vehicle?"

"Well sir..." the soldier sounded nervous and for good reason." its prince Clovis's car."

"The prince's car?" This news was shocking. Last he heard prince Clovis's limo was still at motor pool back at the viceroy's palace. Which meant this had to be an imposter.

"Well it looks like we've got a comedian. Don't worry about it, just leave him to us." it was the moment Jeremiah was waiting for. "All units stop here!"

There was no better stage for the acting consul. Center of a bridge over a fifty story drop into the settlement's layered structure with thousands of live spectators and at least ten times that number across area eleven watching the footage on TV.

The only thing missing were the snipers Villetta had set up, the bridge was out of range of the regular snipers. Knightmare snipers were dismissed as overkill, plus if their snipers couldn't make a shot at that bridge then the elevens were also out of luck.

"They're heading straight at them!" Phillips shouted into Six's ear. "What is he thinking?"

"That he's got a real good bluff up his sleeve."

Despite his own endorsement Six was also a little nervous. A lot of this plan had been rushed, no back up to speak of, and all he could do was wait for the worst to happen.

Six's memory flashed back to the ghettos just yesterday. For Zero's plan to rescue Suzaku, only Kallen and Ohgi seemed to have enough courage to volunteer for the plan. While only two people out of of a dozen showing up wouldn't look good to most people, but Zero wasn't bothered in the least. "The two of you will do just fine."

Ohgi however was failing to get the vague scraps of ideas, which made up Zero's plan, to fit together.

"Come on that's ridicules! There'll be too many of them!" he said.

"With your help clearing the task at hand will be child's play. I'll need this by tomorrow, all that matters is the exterior." Zero then tossed them a photo.

However before Ohgi or Kallen could grab it, one of the piles of rubble stood up and snatched it out of the air. Noble Six had made this the moment he'd reveal that he was there with them. "A very interesting choice. All thought it'd be nice if you'd tell us what else you've got up your sleeve."

Zero showed no signs to being fazed by the spartans surprise arrival. "A good question, but time is of the essence. There are more details on the back."

The picture was of prince Clovis's personal limo. A car with an open air front driver's seat and a two-story back passenger section with a banner bearing the Britannian standard hanging from it. On the back of the photo were instructions on what would go on the inside. With the Spartan's help the Shinjuku terrorists were able to finish in half the time.

* * *

"You dare desecrate his highness' transport?" Lord Jeremiah shouted. Glaring at the offending vehicle in question, speaking into a microphone, so as to carry his voice to the masses. "Come out of there!"

Flames then erupted at the base of the Britannian banner, the symbol of the empire, burned away rapidly to reveal a masked figure standing behind it, a thin frame wrapped in a black cloak. All most like a human bat.

"I am…Zero." The masked man greeted.

Like on the train the name Zero seemed to create more confusion instead of shock an aw. Yet it still worked to great effect. All eyes were on him and everyone was waiting for whatever was comming next.

"What a nub." Phillips said. "The chances of this actually working are…"

"Don't tell me the odds." Six said with a sharp whisper. As he began setting up his own sniper perch. While the Britannian model sniper rifle's range fell short of the prison convoy, the UNSC's SRS99 AM sniper rifle could still core the acting consul's head in a second. However Zero had ordered him only to do so if the worst should happen.

Phillips just laughed like it was a joke. "Right, let's not jinx anything."

As if on cue, lord Jeremiah sprung his trap.

"I've seen enough Zero." He pointed his pistol up and off to the side. "This little show of yours is over!" He pulled the trigger, creating a loud crack that rang out into the air. Four Sutherlands then suddenly dropped from the air, surrounding the fake limo. With this show of over whelming force Jeremiah's victory was all within his grasp. "First things first, why don't you lose that mask."

Zero moved his hand up to his face, looking like he might actually comply with the command. Then he suddenly snapped his fingers and the passenger compartment behind him broke apart to reveal the orange gas capsule.

Noble Six smiled as the new knightmare frames suddenly backed up. According to Kallen and Ohgi, the original capsule held a chemical weapon. However this one was only a very shoddy but even more convincing working replica. According to them the real one had been lost right before the attack on Shinjuku. after hearing the story behind how they stole it in the first place, he didn't have the heart to tell them the truth.

Since the margrave was un-aware of this, to him, Zero had just taken every Britannian there hostage…and they didn't even know it.

Now he just had to wait to see if the pilots in the sutherlands were too smart to be fooled, or too dumb to care. Because he'd learned a few very interesting things about the sutherland knightmare frames. Before returning to the shuttle, Noble Six had searched and found several of the fallen sutherlands. Each time he took in depth scans of each wreck. These were the weapon of choice now, and he needed to find its weakness. Then exploit it, and he had the perfect ammunition to do it.

A rare type, the anti vehicle shells, a smart ordinance designed to be used against lightly, to moderately armored vehicles. Each bullet had a hollow core filled with explosives that could be set to explode around, on, or inside the targeted vehicle for maximum damage.

* * *

Inside his news van Diethard Ried was furious. This was media gold, and the world was missing out! A battle of minds and wills, and he needed a better shot of it.

"Unit six bring up the sound, and get that Camera right in his face!"

The camera man's answer was less than what he wanted to hear. "Sir it's too hairy out here."

"Armatures." Diethard growled as he the grabbed a camera of his own. 'If you want it done right do it yourself.'

* * *

The margrave was between a rock and a hard place. Honestly he wasn't above sacrificing the crowd to capture, or more likely, kill this man. However such an act could still hurt his career in both the long and the short run. But since time seemed to be the biggest factor he could control right now he decided to hear out this zero so he could learn more from the situation. Then turn it on this upstart.

"Fine, what are your demands?"

"In exchange, this for Kururugi." Zero said.

"Like hell, he's charged with high treason for murdering a prince! I can't hand him over!" Jeremiah was short of outrage, a strait traded? True it would be like letting a single murderer go free to save a thousand victims, plus he could easily catch them later. It was who Jeremiah would be trading with that angered him so much. He had been expecting a strike team from the JLF, probably lead by Tohdoh the miracle worker himself, to storm the precession and quickly be gunned down and captured. Instead he's beaten and forced to parlay by some strange named nobody. That alone could hurt his rep badly enough.

That was something Lelouch had suspected from the start. So it was time to come clean and shift the murdeer rap to where it belonged.

"No! You're mistaken Jeremiah. The man who killed Clovis... was myself!" Zero said for the whole world to hear.

* * *

Noble Six wasn't entirely surprised, or pleased for that matter. When he heard about the prince's death he'd originaly had little concern about it. Clovis was the viceroy, but after reading his file the spartan realized that the man had no strategic or tactical value, dead. The late prince was your sterio typical, super rich, playboy, moron. Infact only an idiot would want to kill the guy that was the weakest link in the local government and military structure before over throwing it.

As Noble Six's standing on Zero started to drop. The stratagest of Shinjuku continued to push his sales pitch. "For a single eleven, you'll save scores of precious Britannians. I find that to be a bargain."

For the first time in a long while in his career Diethard was genuinely enjoying his work.

'This is all one big performance to him.' he thought as this amazing stranger looked straight at the camera as he claimed to be the true killer, like he wanted to speak to everyone.

Jeremiah was livid. This had to be a trick of some sort. What fool in his right mind would confess to killing a member of the royal family on live TV?

"He's mad I tell you! Disguising this truck as his highness's, he'll pay the price for mocking the crown!"

With his introduction to the public out of the way, Zero began setting the stage for the exit strategy. "Careful, you don't wish the public to learn of 'Orange', do you?"

* * *

"Orange?" Noble Six repeated. "What's that about?"

Phillips responded almost immediately, but without what either wanted to know.

"Got me, I've already accessed every file on this Gottwald guy from birth record to credit history. No mention of that word anywhere in that context."

Then Zero taped the limo's roof. Kallen began driving them closer. "If I die it'll all go public. If you don't want that to happen. You'll do everything in your power to let us go, your prisoner as well."

"Like its gonna be that simple." Phillips said before the the pureblood's commander gave his response.

"Right, understood." Jeremiah said before turning to the soldiers standing over Suzaku. "You there, release the prisoner!"

"Oh come on!"

"Get that man over here!" Jeremiah shouted when no one did as he said. His subordinates tried to reason with him but the man simply brushed them off saying. "Hand him over! Nobody gets in his way." It was like the acting consul had gone a complete one-eighty. Whatever this orange was it must have been big.

"Wait, somethings off." Six said as he zoomed in on the man's face. It was his eyes, there was a small read glow outlining his irises.

"That cant be natural." Phillips said as he observed the live footage from Six's helmet.

Eventually the command to release the boy were followed, mostly because many of the soldiers and other guards were extremely confused by the consul's sudden change and thought that this might be an improvised part of the plan.

As Suzaku climbed off the mobile stage, Zero and Kallen dismounted as well and walked towards the freed prisoner.

Once they were in arm's length of each other Zero turned to Jeremiah. "Until we meet again." Zero then pressed the button on the control stick. The gas capsule shuddered as pink smoke bellowed from the four vents on its dome like sides. The civilians may not have known the full extent of what was going on but when something big does something unexpected, they still panicked perfectly.

With the situation quickly deteriorating for the Britannian's, the pure bloods finally became frantic enough to go against the consul's orders. The knightmare frame to the right of the acting consul raised its rifle to fire at Zero and the others. Noble six was ready to take it out but the consul beat him to the punch as he used his tonfa to strike the offending machine down, shouting. "All unit do I make myself clear! Do everything in your power to help them get away!"

'Just what is going on here?' Six thought as he changed his focus to the four knightmares that had surrounded the fake limo. Now with the fake gas released their only recourse was to capture the escaping prisoner and his rescuers at all costs.

First fun fact about sutherland knightmare armor: when compared to the armor found on a standard UNSC warthog it has the comparative strength of tank armor found in the early 20th century, which by UNSC engineering standards was completely obsolete.

Noble Six lined up his sights on the knightmare closest to Zero and emptied his first clip of AV (anti-vehicle) shells. The shells punched through the armor with little resistance before one was lucky enough to pierce the second weakness, the sutherland's unshielded core processor. The knightmare suddenly froze like a statue, catching the one behind it by surprise as it crashed into its lead.

With two of the Mecha rolling around the street in a tangled mess Six quick loaded a fresh clip of AV rounds before centering on the next sutherland as it circled around the smoke with its rifle raised.

The spartan's weapon barked four times as the four rounds found their place in the third weakest point in a sutherland's design. The most sensitive joints were in its pelvic area. Phillips had made several crude jokes about the similarity between the man and the machine, but Six chose not to recall them as his target's legs blew out of their sockets.

The fourth knightmare was spinning around, trying to use its factsphere to find where the shooter was. That there was the fourth and final weakness that Noble Six would take advantage of this night, the factsphere. It is the primary device that the sutherlands use to collect visual data. The first shot of Six's third clip put an AV shell dead center of the giant eye, the bullets explosive core turned the fragile camera's broken remains into useless shrapnel in seconds. The pilot must have had it by then because he ejected right then and there.

As the empty knightmare fell to the ground Zero, Suzaku, and Kallen jumped off the side of the bridge. Right into the safety net from Ohgi's MR-1 knightmare.

Another sutherland knightmare turned to follow them, but Noble Six had it lined up in its sights as he slammed his final full clip into the rifle. The final shots were close but direct hits as two heavy shells tore through the back of each of the knightmare's knees. Then Six saw the MR-1's escape pod fly off, his signal to do the same.

* * *

A short time later Kallen Suzaku and Zero met up with Ohgi and Noble Six before joining the other freedom fighters at a blown out Shinjuku theater.

"Man I didn't really think he could do it." Yoshida said as everyone was still feeling the hype that came from scoring a major victory or looking through the rifles and equipment recovered by the spartan.

"Yeah, who are these guys?" Minami added picking up one of the recovered weapons.

"That's crap how many times could a bluff like that work anyway." Tamaki retorted still not totally buying into the whole thing.

"You have to give the guy some credit though." Ohgi commented. "Got to admit it, nobody else could have pulled that off. Not the Japanese Liberation Front, and certainly not me. We've always thought a full on war with Britannia wasn't a possibility at all. But maybe, with him it is."

Kallen knew what Ohgi was saying. Being half Britannian meant she'd seen their power up close. She turned to look over her shoulder to the door Suzaku and Zero had entered after they arrived, Kallen then realized someone was missing. "hey, where's the big machine man?"

* * *

Inside the theater's auditorium Noble Six hung back in the shadows, listening as zero talked with Suzaku. Despite being saved only minutes ago, the Japanese boy seems anything but grateful.

"Why did you use the threat of poison gas and take civilians hostage?"

"It was necessary to negotiate to win. The result, no one died. Right?" zero answered like it was nothing.

"'The result?' That's all that matters to you, I suppose." Suzaku said showing clear distaste for that word.

"If you want to change the world, come with me. The Britannia you serve is a worthless dominion."

Despite the obvious accusation Suzaku remained unfazed.

"You may be right. But... That's why I'm going to change it into a country with values! And I'll do it from within! I don't believe a result achieved by contemptible methods is worth anything."

The masked figure only stared in response. Suzaku turned around and began walking away.

"Wait! Where are you going!?"

"I have a court date." Suzaku said "If I don't go, they'll start cracking down on elevens and honorary Britannians."

"Are you an idiot!? If you go, you'll be killed! It's the only reason they're giving you one!"

"That may be, but it must be done."

Suzaku then walked through the hole in the stage's back wall and disappeared from sight.

"You fool!" zero shouted, even with no one to hear him.

Well... almost.

"Perhaps I miss judged your ability."

"Spartan!" Zero shouted in surprise, "how long have you been there?"

"Long enough. The others are leaving to go back to their homes and hiding places." Noble Six then walked to the same hole that Suzaku had left through.

"And where are you going?" Zero asked. Several ideas had come to his mind, few that he liked.

"First I have a question for that boy Suzaku. Then I'm going to look for some place to bunk down that won't get me plastered all over the news."

* * *

Suzaku had walked about four blocks before something smacked him in the head. The impact was fairly soft, but it still had enough force to throw him a couple of feet. Once he had stopped tumbling Suzaku look to see what hit him saw what he could only describe as an 8ft tall knightmare in a hooded trench coat.

"Zero maybe willing to let you just walk out of here. I'm not, Just yet anyway." Six said as he slowly approached.

"Why? Who are you… what are you?" Suzaku asked as he got up.

"I'm a living weapon, created in secret by Britannia. But I've chosen to follow my own path, not the ones made by those that would call themselves our master. I no longer have a name just a number 312, call sign Noble Six. I can tell you for a fact invoking lasting change from within is nothing more than a pipe dream."

"No, it can be changed-" but Six cut him off.

"Prove it! Give me a reason to believe you. Tell me how you're going to change a nation of cutthroat bigots and supremacists? If you could give me a solution that won't add mountains to the body count, then tell me."

Suzaku just stood there, defiantly refusing to cower under the Spartans imposing shadow. He couldn't find an answer for him, he wanted one. However he refused to give up, he would find it even if it killed him. "There is a way. My father died to bring about this peace and I will not have his sacrifice be in vain."

"That may be true to you, but there's a line between lives spent and lives wasted, and your goal is flirting with the latter." Noble Six then stopped, his blank visor showing nothing.

"What about you! You're a Britannian aren't you? Why do you fight your-"

"Because I'm a soldier, not a murderer!"

Suzaku immediately silenced himself.

"The prince ordered the entire ghetto to be exterminated. If working with this zero is evil, then working with Britannia is even worse. I just choose the lesser of the two. What about you?"

Suzaku continued to remain silent. That one word had broken any resolve he had to argue with the armored giant. So the boy just stood there with his eyes down cast.

"Forget it." the Spartan turned around and started walking away. "I don't have the time to deal with you now, because all I see is someone trying to die so things can just stay the way they are."

Six then stopped just before he rounded a corner and looked Suzaku in the eye as best he could.

"Just think about this, you said the Britannians were going to crack down on honorary Britannians and elevens if you don't show up. However the whole reason you're having any trial is not just to find a scape goat, but it was so the purebloods could have an excuse to do just that."

Then just as suddenly the giant disappeared. Leaving a stunned boy standing in the middle of a dark street.

* * *

**So that happened. Suzaku's view was challenged, with extreme prejudice. He's still going to stick with Britannia, but how long will it last?**

**I wanted to ask this in the last chapter, how and where do you the reader think Zero and Noble Six could have met?**

**I also want to know what you readers think will or want to happen next.**

**and if you don't like spoilers then Don't Read THIS!**

**Lelouch will get his one on one time with Cornelia before the black rebellion**

**Noble Six will have a pairing, feel free to speculate on that**

**AND someone that was suposed to make it through to the end of the series... will die.**

**Oh, and a shout out to Deathadder47117 and edboy4296, thanks for the praise and I hope to keep this work going. And edboy, you're on the right track.**

**PS**

**One last thing, if there are spelling and grammer errors let me know exactly where they are**


	6. Turn 5

Turn 5

"Congratulations Spartan! You've become what you've fought your entire career to destroy."

"I only wish it was that simple. What we really have here is the covenant war made anew. Only now we can't draw the line at humanity."

Conversation between Phillips and Noble Six after jumping out of the train.

* * *

Noble six was quiet. Both in movement and in thought as he moved towards his Shinjuku hideout.

His silence was beginning to unnerve Phillips. But before he could say anything, Six finally spoke.

"MORON! Pointless. Ungrateful...AAAARRRRGGHH!" He screamed.

"You ok spartan?" Noble Six kicked the corner of a wall and sent giant chunks of mason flying. "Okay, calm down before you..." Six then went to another, bigger, wall and punched it. Cracks spider webbed out from under his knuckles for two feet. "Really you're..." Noble Six punched it again, then again, and again and again as the cracks got bigger as the building it was apart of started to sway. "That's Enough Soldier!"

Six's fist stopped an inch from the wall.

"Now what in the heck is going on? Are you trying to get caught." Which was a major possibility since the authorities were still on high alert.

"After all the work, the kid just turns around and walks right back into police custody." the spartan sat down on a slab of concrete, "I'm flying blind here and I don't like it."

It made no sense to Phillips either but breaking stuff wasn't the right way to go about it at this time.

"Well get back to the shuttle, I've got a plan that you might want to hear..." the spartan got back up just before giving one last hard glare at the wall he was assaulting a moment ago, right before it caved in with the rest of the building. "Tomorrow. After you've had some time to calm down."

* * *

"I'm back." Lelouch said to Nunnally as he walked into the dining room. His escapades earlier that night had left him drained. Right now he was expecting Nunnally to greet him and ask where he had gone. He would give her a truthful, but less than accurate, story about his time away then they'd both turn in for the night. However the response came from someone else entirely.

"Welcome home Lelouch."

Words could not describe Lelouch's shock at seeing C.C. Sitting next to Nunnally. All he could do was stand and gape. His mouth opened to say something, but his brain was unable to come up with a suitable sound.

"I'm so glad, I was worried." Nunnally said, completely unaware of the truth.

"I'm assuming you ate out tonight, judging by your appearance." CC Said as she finished folding another paper crane.

"Thank goodness I thought you might have been caught in all the uproar by that man Zero." Lelouch was frozen in place as Nunnally continued to elaborate on what happened while he was out.

"I tried calling you but you didn't answer your cell-phone. I wanted to tell you ms. C.C. Has been waiting for you as well."

"She has?" for the first time Lelouch could remember. he was glad Nunnally was blind. The second to last two people he wanted to see together were sitting at the dinner table, folding orlgami cranes, and drinking tea.

Nunnally giggled "Your friend goes by such an unusual name. Only her initials."

"Yea." Lelouch had no intention of letting these two meet, let alone remain in the same room together, yet the situation was delicate. He needed something to separate them without Nunnally asking too many questions.

'what do I do? I can't think of any thing to say on the fly. The tea cup? No, a reprimand from Sayoko was extremely unpleasant.'

"I was just wondering," Nunnally suddenly asked."is CC your girlfriend?"

"He made a promise about our future together. Right?"

Lelouch could have died of shock right there."Huh!" did C.C. tell her about Geass?

"A future together? You mean marriage?"

That assumption could be even worse. "No! No, that isn't what she's talking about. It's like... Uh... She's kidding around."

"No I'm not." C.C. Said flatly

Fine teacup it is then.

"Well your certainly doing this sooner than most, but everyone's different aren't they. So I suppose it isn't that strange-" Nunnally stopped when she suddenly heard the tinkle of breaking china.

"Oh CC look what you've done. Your soaking wet." Lelouch said as he grabbed her arm and lead her out of the room. "Come on, let's get you to the bathroom into a dry change of cloths. Nunnally stay here and I'll clean that up in a minute. And she was kidding before, kidding, just a dumb joke that's all."

Once they were out of ear shot Lelouch finally showed his ire. "What about, stay here, was too hard to follow?"

"I was hungry and I decided to find something to eat. She was in the dining room and heard me come in."

Lelouch groaned internally. This Whole ordeal had become far more complicated by the arrival of the… he really didn't know what to call it. A man, Machine, An amalgamation of both? Did he really hold no loyalty for Britannia?

Could he trust him?

There were plenty of good questions to consider, but every time he thought of them, he remembered what the Spartan was capable of.

He stood up to a bullet at point blank range, and in the junk yard where they built the copy of his brother's limo, the Spartan single-handedly lifted the vehicle's entire frame up so the two volunteers could check the undercarriage. He could easily brake a man with his bear hands.

There was no doubt in the boy's mind, the Spartan would be useful.

* * *

"Case number one zero seven. Suzaku Kururugi, area eleven military forces. In the murder of his highness prince Clovis you are no longer a suspect and set free from lack of evidence."

Those were the word the MP said to the boy just before he practically threw him his clothes and all but shoved him out the door.

It had all happened so fast Suzaku was in a light daze. "What happened? I'm free." For some reason he expected something to drop from the sky and crush him like a bug.

"Hello again!" the familiar voice of Lloyd shouted.

He and Ms. Croomy were standing next to the same truck used to transport the Lancelot knightmare frame back in Shinjuku. Looking at it now, made it feel out of place

"Looks like I win the bet Lloyd." Ms. Croomy said before opening the door to let Suzaku climb in first.

"Even so they probably gave him the third degree about the whole zero incident."

"They sure did." Suzaku said, scratching the back of his head like it was all just a joke. "Kind of surprised myself that I'm, just walking, out."

While it wasn't really all that funny the professor smiled all the same. But that smile soon turned a little creepy. "Oh by the way, it's a shame about your acquittal. Looks like you'll be working for me again."

* * *

Deep in the personal comhub, of the pure blood faction, a meeting of its senior staff was being held. Officially the pure blood faction had been disbanded after its head had been imprisoned after his attack of madness during the transport of Suzaku Kururugi. However they had until the new viceroy's arrival to come up with a way to change her verdict. So far their only solution centered around their former leader, and not in a good way.

"We must get rid if this orange character before princess Cornelia assumes her new post." Lord Kewell said. His sentiment was shared by many of the members, and since he was the highest ranking member they had appointed him their new leader.

However since the now former margrave's incarceration on the charges of conspiracy and corruption, Jeremiah had been rendered un-touchable until after the trial. Since killing their former leader was not an option now, the rest of purebloods had shifted their problem solving focus else where. Trying to find somewhere else to point the blame so they could save their doomed reputations, with little success.

"Do you know what this orange means?" One of the lower ranked members asked Lord Kewell.

"In any case lord Jeremiah is definitely hiding something." Another said as the former margrave continued to remain the center of the groups ire. "Saying he can't recall anything, Bartley offered the same excuse."

Then the communications officer said something that got everyone's attention "Could there be a connection there?"

The room suddenly got very quiet. Could it be possible? It was true that Bartley and the senior staff had all given the same excuse. Even after Bartley's disgrace, many of that same staff were hooked up to lie detectors. All it really did was prove what they were saying, one second they were with the prince, The next outside inspecting the G1's tires. If there was a connection, then that meant this went deeper than anyone had realized. Which lead to another topic

"What about the snipers? And the knightmare frames? Who or what could have done that?"

The mention of those events sent a cold shiver down almost everyone's spine. When all the sniper teams failed to report in, Kewell had sent two man teams to investigate each one after he'd assumed command. At first it looked like they'ed just fallen asleep at their posts. However the first team was in for a shock when they rolled them over and discovered both the sniper and spotter had their necks snapped like twigs and all their gear was gone. The first group also had the unfortunate surprise of finding a primed flash bang under their one of the dead, one of them had almost fallen off the building in the chaos. Other traps were found on the other teams as well, ranging from simple tension wire traps to a frag grenade. Lucky for them the grenade was a dud but it had a note attached to it.

"Next time, BOOM!"

Then came the knightmares, four of them had been disabled by a, as of yet, un-known weapon with a ridiculously long range that fired explosive shells the size of one's small finger. To the best of everyone's knowledge no such weapon exists that wasn't wielded by a knightmare, just who was pulling the strings here?

* * *

Back under the Shinjuku ghetto Noble Six was taking the time to hear Phillips idea.

"Ok so let's go over this plan of yours." he said.

"Okay, except for the contents of this shuttle we've got nothing. No infrastructure, no back up, no resupplies, and no evac." Phillips then began tearing pages out of his note pad and throwing the crumpled wads into the air, where they became holographic windows displaying texts and or other visual documents. "To supplement our limitations we must seek out side aid. Hence your contacting the terrorist group in Shinjuku and this Zero guy-"

"Kid." Six correcting the AI.

"Right... since there are still limits to working with these terrorists, and Britannia is not an option, plus we currently can not make contact with any other nations we have no stable infrastructure." Phillips then tossed out a new set of windows listing companies, locations, and people that were for sale, bribable, or having financial trouble. "There for I propose we build it our selves."

Noble six gave them a quick once over before waving them off with some disbelief. "Your serious?"

"I know it looks to be a impossible job but hear me out." the holographic windows retreated back into the clumps of holographic paper before dissolving. "While the Britannians have no formal internet, all their commercial, and most of the financial, computer networking is run through a single site. The BIGLOBE." The avatar flipped through several more pages before ripping the one he wanted out then converting it into another series of holographic windows. "It has access to everything we need. Banks, factories, databases, and transportation."

"But?" Six asked, bringing the AI's excitement to a screeching halt.

"But my ability to traverse and manipulate this network is still very limited. We AI are used to battling cutting-edge encryption and billion-dollar security. But sometimes the toughest challenge we really have is cracking something old and out-of-date. I'm basically up against an obsolete network of landlines and first generation broadband, loaded with arcane software, so you can either place yourself in a cryo tube and wait for a few centuries of improvement or admit defeat. We're looking at mid twentieth century software, to me is like trying to flip a switch at the bottom of a narrow tube filled with water and a thick layer of mud on the bottom. It starts out clear, but the further you reach in the harder it is to see what you're doing."

"And?" Noble Six asked waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I have an option that can help me get around that, but my programming requires that I must first receive permission from the highest ranking officer, when connection is lost with the main command it falls to the highest ranking officer present." The Spartan's tacpad beeped, there were two boxs on the screen. One said approved, the other deny. "Please sir, just sitting here is driving me Crazy!"

The spartan looked at the screen on his arm and then at the avatar. "That's it, no explanation, no details?"

Phillips smiled like an idiot and started to whistle, like if he ignored the question long enough Noble Six might forget he asked. It took Two minutes of hard staring for him to finally crack. "There are four ONI stealth Stratellites down in the storage area."

"How do four highly classified-" Six stopped himself, it was becoming increasingly apparent that this AI was still not telling him everything. At some point the spartan would need to ask him directly what this shuttle's actual destination was supposed to be. If there was one to begin with that would warrant this equipment. Beyond that Noble Six just said "You know what? I don't care anymore. If we have them, fine! Then let's use them."

"It is a temporary fix while I release designs for UNSC equipment into the public-"

"What?!" Six shouted as he bolted up right at the AI's treasonous confession.

"Its mostly going to be the ambiguous tech!" The AI said, trying to calm the spartan down and ease his thumb off the detonator "Mass production consumer goods, industrial equipment, medical supplies, and more modern electronics. Better stuff that we can work with. Or do you want to rely on the terrorist for everything?

Six had to flinch just a bit when he said terrorist. "You know, I've been thinking about that term. Its a label for criminals, but It's not like they're really in the wrong here. When people are divided like this it breeds monsters on both sides. You've seen what kind of world is out there haven't you?

Then it was the AI's avatar's turn to flinch. Phillips had seen what Noble Six was talking about, every AI was created with the current sum total of human history, the good and the bad. Wars for power over people, land, and money. Mass starvation and the disease that followed it. The filth and decay brought about by the neglect from racism. Watching entire nations all wither away before crumbling into dust. The spartan was right, if just a little bit, not all of these people were really terrorists.

"Besides," Six said before closing down the rest of the hologaphic text windows. "What else can I do? What purpose do I serve now? Either I do something to change things for the better, or just lay down and die." Noble Six then hit the approve button on his tacpad before picking up the electronic tablet with the inventory. "Ok, where were those stratellites again?"

* * *

"Sorry about the detour." Ms. Croomy said as the sun started to dip below the horizon. "We may have the license to drive this thing, but outside of combat situations it's not exactly street legal."

They had actually been driving all day thanks to Lloyd's navigation skills, or lack of any being the case. For some reason every time he took a turn they would be stopped by some type of traffic jam. At one point Lloyd suggested, testing, the Lancelot by having it clear a path through a intersection that was jammed by a car wreck. Cecil had slapped him up back of his head before Suzaku could even think about agreeing.

"Its okay." in truth Suzaku's mind had been elsewhere as he stared out the window at what once was a battle field only days ago. "The Shinjuku ghetto, ruined again. An the residents were starting to return too."

"It must hurt a lot." ms. Croomy said sensing Suzaku's depression.

"It does." he replied, feeling the weight of the world catching up again.

"Well don't worry about keeping it in," Lloyd said as he stole a look at his devicer's mood, "Its not like it's a weakness. All though to be perfectly honest, any other Britannian would… ya-AH!" Lloyd's blunt response was quickly squelched by miss Croomy with a quick tug of the ear an some blunt words of her own. She would have tugged harder but she didn't want to force him to pull over.

"This is not the time for that." she turned back to apologize but Suzaku was lost in his own thoughts by this point.

Was it bad to be weak? Seven years ago, the world seemed like such a terribly sad place to him. A world with no hope at all. People would rise up for one reason or another and bring down their leaders, then get brought down themselves for the same reason. The cycle needs to be broken. Somebody has to do it because No one should lose more of the people they love, a world without war.

'Prove it! Give me a reason to believe you. Tell me how you're going to change a nation of cutthroat bigots and supremacists?' fingers of ice dug into the young man's chest as those words echoed in his head. That man, thing, Suzaku had talked with after leaving zero had shaken him, down to his core. This, Noble Six, had called him out on his plan and realized Suzaku had nothing to show for it. But now that he was free and back with the ASEEC and the Lancelot, it was a step toward that change, he'd prove it or die trying.

* * *

In the ghetto itself another situation was about to develop. In the form of Two typical Britannian high school kids that were nosing around the former battle field. Looking, among the many grave markers left by the handful survivors of this tragedy, for anything cool that they could brag about to their friends.

The first teen, a tall thin boy with black hair tied in a pony-tail, originally wanted to get his picture taken while standing next to some rocket grenade craters, but he was to be disappointed. "Man they didn't use RG on the elevens, I figured they wouldn't." He said like he knew it all along.

"Hey look!" his friend, a short teen with a orange bandanna on his head, said pointing at some large bullet holes. "Those are marks from hummer rounds, get a clear shot of it."

"Say cheese. Got it, okay me next."

However the two students would be in for a loud and rude interruption as their little incursion into the Shinjuku ghetto got the attention of it's local terrorist chapter. Tamaki shouted as he knocked the camera out of the boy's hands. "Get out of here you dam Britannian bastards!"

"How dare a lowly eleven speak-" the kid shouted back like he owned the place. No concern for the lesser man or the two other elevens behind him.

"Don't call me an eleven! I'm Japanese!" Tamaki shouted, for seven year he'd been walked on. These two brat teens unfortunately were in sight when he'd snap for the day.

However these kid didn't seem to realize just how much trouble they were about to be in and continued to talk back. "Your wrong! You people seem to forget that you people lost. Your nothing but a beaten dog."

"You raciest pig!" Tamaki grabbed the shirt of the nearest kid with the intent of doing something violent to the brat's person.

That is until a seemingly random person passing by took notice. "Hey! What's going on here?"

To the people there, his features had the same telltale signs of a eleven, or maybe chinese.

"Stay out of this!" Tamaki said before trying to knock the interloper aside, but instead struck his hand against something hard, really hard, and it hurt.

"Agh!"

A lot.

"Ling! That's enough." said a brown haired man also sharing Japanese facial distinctions as he put himself between the two of them, blocking Tamaki. "Having a fight here would be a bad idea for everyone. Enough blood has been spilled here, let's try to give the dead a chance to find some peace tonight."

Tamaki was still angry and normally logic and reason would dive out the window in his case, but this stranger's words struck a cord with him. "Whatever let's go."

Once Tamaki and the others were out of ear shot the two teens started to complain like a pair of old hags.

"Why did you wait? Some honorary citizens you are."

"Why'd you let'em go? You should have killed him, what's a few dead elevens to-"

The large boy's tiered would be violently cut off as a man of Britannian heritage appeared and punched him in the face with enough force to put him on the ground.

"You! Would be wise to consider where you are Boy! We could have easily continued walking and let those men teach you two a real lesson in humility. One I am sourly tempted to do now. So get out of here before you become one of the many Britannians that have gone missing in the ghettos."

What fear Tamaki had failed to instill in these two this man had driven home. Both kids turned tail and ran as fast as they could back to the settlement.

Then a fourth man appeared, also of seeming Britannian decent. "Nice one James, I just hope all Britannians are not that infuriating."

"Yea, give me the covenant any day."

* * *

Back under Shinjuku, Noble Six had hit a road block with the supplies.

To Hell With It!" He shouted as he kicked the heavy lid to the container that the AI had told him to open.

"Okay, tell me exactly where I lost you?" Phillips asked.

"You didn't," Noble Six said as he leaned his back against a bulkhead. "That Stratellite's container need a, some assembly is required, sticker attached to it."

"Ha-Ha, that's funny-" the avatar then froze as the fact sank in. "Wait you're serious?"

"Like an empty clip in a fire fight. To make it worse we don't have all the equipment here needed to put it together." then Six shook his head in disagreement, "No we just need to be smart about this. I'll take it with me to the school tomorrow."

Deep down Noble six realized he had to have known better. A stratellite is, in essence, a small airship outfitted with a complex communication system that has the power to reach every corner of a small continent. Something this complex had to be shipped in two separate parts, the airship's balloon and the communications systems.

The first part was ready to go, a Dual envelope balloon, made of neo Dyneema, easy to inflate but almost impossible to puncture. Once inflated with Helium and Nitrogen it would take on a delta wing shape, similar to the long sword fighter. Once air born the small airship would reach a Cruising altitude of 65,000 ft just above the jet stream,air traffic, and most weather phenomenon. For navigation, once in the air, 6 onboard GPS units connected to the ship's seven engines. Six tilt rotors for short distances maneuvering and a one use turbine for, emergency, long distance travel all powered by high out put solar cells. Plus a active camo cover on the top would hide it from any terrestrial targeting satellites. Yea all that was set up and ready to go, it was the electronic espionage and counter intelligence payload that needed work.

The Payload was basically a 3,000 lb collection of cameras, long range broadband transmitters, and other electronics needed for whatever black pen operation ONI had up it sleeve. With a line-of-sight 300,000 square miles wide one stratellite could cover the entire island of Japan for over a year and a half with the right video gear. Plus the broadband signal's coverage could easily surpassed those 300,000 square miles, the terrain features and man-made structures would only prove to be a little annoying in the worst case scenario. In a nut shell, Phillips was trying to create his own private pirate signal network. However until it was properly assembled the whole thing was pretty much worthless.

"I'll make some arrangements with the local moving companies, get those containers delivered right where you need them. Oh, are you going to contact the local, terrorist, cell as well? Let that girl Kallen know you're around." Six turned to face the AI's avatar. His helmet might have hidden it, but Phillips could detect a rather unsavory glare coming off the spartan. "Right, never mind."

* * *

In the settlements central prison, in the exact same cell that had once held Suzaku, the former margrave sat, bound in a standard prison jacket, to await the final verdict for his actions.

Despite what he'd been told, what he'd endured, he had faith that the truth would be revealed. He told them everything, he was facing this Zero ready to capture him, then he was holding his own men at gun point. It was all true, he was a Britannian, an officer, and a gentlemen. They had to believe him.

That was when one of the personal knight of princess Cornelia opened his cell. "Your getting out Jeremiah."

"Lord Guildford! You see I'm innocent don't you." Lords Andreas Darlton and Gilbert G.P. Guilford, had arrived earlier that morning ahead of their princess in order to secure things for her arrival. Seeing who it was they sent to release him could only mean that he was being given a royal pardon. That was his first mistake.

"Well it seems in the eyes of the court you are anyway. Orange boy."

"Huh?"

Guildford had not come with a pardon, but the final nail for the coffin of Jeremiah's career.

"Whatever the truth is, zero got away and you pure bloods let it happen. You've been demoted three ranks for failure. You have two options to choose from. Starting over as a pilot, or cultivating an orange farm."

It was the cruelest blow he could take. To advance so far only to be knocked back to the beginning. An worst of all, he realized that there might be no recovery from this.

* * *

Hours later at the Tokyo airport, military sector, Euphemia greeted her elder sister as she stepped off the plane. She was here to replace their late brother Clovis as viceroy. Right now she was wearing the usual military attire of her forces, a maroon suit and pants, the only article of clothing she was wearing with any implication of noble status or femininity was a ornate alabaster cloak.

Cornelia was without a doubt a beautiful woman. However when angered it could easily be over looked in place of her fierceness.

"I heard what you did Euphimia. You shouldn't be so reckless." the older sister was referring to an attempt Euphimia had made to leave her quarters at the viceroy's palace through the window by tying her sheets together to make a rope so she could scale down the side of the building. If she hadn't been caught by Lord Darlton in the nick of time there would have been no telling where she would be now.

Luckily there were few things that could make Cornelia mad at her favorite sister. "I know dear sister, forgive me but-"

"You will address me as viceroy, sub viceroy Euphimia." but Cornelia was definitely upset now, ten seconds off the plane and she went strait to the topic of public image. "Because we're sisters we need to follow a stricter protocol."

"Yes, I understand." Euphimia said, her eyes down cast. this wasn't the first time they had a discussion like this. Her latest reason for upsetting her big sister may having been getting caught in an attempt to jump out a window so she could see the settlement and ghettos without an escort, but it was really just a drop in the pool that had formed since their older brother clovis's death.

So If Cornelia was in a good mood she'd ignore the minor slips in her little sisters edict an protocals, and just give Euphimia a hug. These days however Cornelia seemed to actually want to be mad about something.

"Now then give me your report." she said to the vice minister of the late viceroy.

"Yes, my lady the first order of business is a welcome party we've arranged for your highness-" the government official stopped as Cornelia pointed her weapon, a short gun-sword, squarely at his head.

Apparently the man had miss read the situation and started off with the wrong topic. She was clearly angered and despreatly wanted something to vent her frustration on. Her voice grew from a growl into a roar. "Sloppy, senile, corrupt. Where Is Zero! I Want The Enemy Of The Empire Caught! Get Zero!"

Cornelia wasn't like her other siblings, Not any of them. Not like Clovis and the other party going relations that preferred to coast through life with the finer thing on their mind, or Schniezel an his ilk with their military plans and political plots in the shadows. No she was the kind that would eagerly get her hands dirty to obtain victory.

There would be no party that night. Only an intenceified search for the new most wanted man in area eleven.

The next day Lelouch stood up strait in his seat after almost strategically falling asleep in class. All because a familiar and unexpected voice had just announced it's self. "I'll be joining the student body here at Ashford Academy beginning today. My name is Suzaku Kururugi. It is a pleasure to meet you." Lelouch fought every desire to get up, his best friend was free and now a fellow student in his class it was almost too perfect.

"Very good. Please take an available seat. Now everyone remember, the charges against Mr. Kururugi were dropped. So let's try to keep the rumors to a minimum during this lesion." the teacher said to the class.

Suzaku walked past the staring students and sat at a chair near the back. All the while listening to what the other kids were whispering to each other, when they thought he wasn't listening.

"What's a damn eleven doing here?"

"He was a suspect in Prince Clovis's murder"

"But the teacher said the charge was dropped"

"Still suspicious enough to arrest though right?"

"You don't really think he is a terrorist right?"

"Of course he isn't. The school board would know something like that"

Such harsh gossip was whispered for the duration of the entire class. To Suzaku it wasn't anything new. Be it the army, the school, or people on the street he was still an honnorary Britannian. Still an outsider. So he just did what he did every other time. He just sat at his seat and listened to the person in charge speak.

* * *

**I feel awful about this chapter. So much dropped content, altered senes, changed dialoge... What Was I Thinking?! However don't worry, when one chapter is short for any reason expect the next one to be extra long. So please keep reading, favoring, and following.**

**If anyone is curious, the stratellite is a real world technology. Its still under development but I think it has some real promise. Look it up.**

**Also I did mention I intend to pair Noble Six up, while I do have someone in mind I want to know who you'd pick. Who knows you're idea might be better.**

**PS **

**Which knightmare frame should be his first as well? I want to see you're choices.**


	7. Turn 6

Turn 6

If A equals success, then the formula is: A=X+Y+Z.

X is work.

Y is play.

Z is keep your mouth shut.

Albert Einstein

* * *

The emperor of Britannia, Charles Zi Britannia, a man who controlled a third of the world. Was standing on the edge of a horizon-less sky glowing in eternal twilight. Up, down, left, right all around him was endless sky, the true name of this place had long since been lost to the passage of time and was simply called C's world now. However despite it's empty appearance, C's world was not empty as the emperor was standing on a large platform, roughly the size of a football field and doted with ancient stone structures, whose original purpose had also been lost.

The emperor's focus seemed to be on the endless sky. Until a man in a black ceremonial cloak and mask appeared with a message.

"Your Majesty, the remains have arrived."

The Emperor seemed to sigh "I was just conversing with Clovis, actually."

"Huh?" the messenger was confused because it was prince Clovis's remains that had just arrived.

Since the Emperor knew he didn't have to explain himself he simply replied "The project must proceed, without a moment's delay."

The messenger simply bowed to acknowledge his sovereign's command and followed him as the emperor walked to a set of stairs that lead the way back to earth.

* * *

From the air it would seem that Ashford Academy occupied roughly one and a half square mile of the Tokyo settlement's surface, however, the actual extent of the schools facilities extended well into the bowels of the settlements structure. Everything passed the first sub-floor was reserved for utilities, storage, and other industrial based needs and was regarded as off-limits to the students. Who had all but free rein in the areas above the restricted section. In those areas students were only restricted from entering the teacher's lounge and parking lot, and of course there was the standard restrictions between the boys and girls dormitory.

Most of the school's surface facilities were focused at the front entrance of the school campus. The area behind the building was largely all forest and fields, all artificially transplanted and landscaped during the settlement's construction as well as the school's it was dotted with various minute structures such as outdoor bathrooms fountains small parks and playgrounds for the younger students and a couple of open-air amphitheater's mostly used for school events such as the cultural festivals, which the student council president enjoyed throwing as often as she could, and various other outdoor-based activities at this moment Lelouch was looking for his friend Suzaku to around one of the empty picnic areas.

Right after class ended Lelouch had tugged on his uniforms collar as he left the room. It was an old silent signal the two of them had made up when the adults were too busy to bother with the kids.

So far his friend had yet to show up and the student council vice president was starting to get a little concerned. It was no secret that the student self-defense force still held to the idea that Suzaku was still guilty. Lelouch knew that Suzaku could hold his own in most fights. However there was still the risk of him being overwhelmed, it was a popular club that was a few violent acts away from devolving into a gang.

Originally, the two friends were supposed to have met on the school's roof, however it was already occupied at the time. By another pair of students that were using the secluded spot to for a more, mature, rondevu. Lelouch had been rather shocked that the coat of the girl's academy uniform could come off that quickly. Of course he'd talk/yell at Milly about that later.

It was then that the banished prince's train of thought was derailed when something big and black covered his face. Once the initial shock had worn off and he'd pulled it off his head the boy realized it was a coat from an Academy uniform. Tracing it back up to it suspected origin Lelouch found the person he was looking for up in a tree and approaching a small animal.

"Is that a cat?" Lelouch asked as Suzaku crept closer to his target.

"Yeah this cat seems to be hurt and can't get down." as Suzaku slowly and gently reached out his hand the dark furred feline bit him, hard. In the confusion that followed, Suzaku slipped from his perch on the tree branch and fell to the ground. The cat was able to safely land in Lelouch's arms.

Where the former prince was able to get a clear look at this intruding feline.

It was a dark gray male cat with a large black spot over one of its yellow eyes. As Lelouch looked over this animal, he suddenly realize that this cat was doing the exact same thing to him. Like perhaps there might be some higher intelligence at work here.

However the moment quickly passed as the animal quickly forced way out of the student's arms and took off on its own once more allowing Lelouch to focus on his friend were just falling out of a tree. "Hey are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Suzaku said as he dusted himself off before taking his coat back from Lelouch.

"Seriously? What is with you and felines? Like all those times back at your family's shrine."

"Don't remind me." Suzaku groaned as the painful memories bubbled to the surface. "There was that one cat on the roof, I went up to get it down..."

"It scratched you on the nose and you fell off and landed in the koy pond. Then I fell in trying to get you out." Both Suzaku and Lelouch laugh together for the first time in seven years.

"Having a meeting like the old days, sort of." Suzaku said while he scratched his head at the very embarrassing spill he had taken. "I'm glad your okay.

"Alive and kicking thanks to you, you almost died trying to protect me." And if the cat was any indication Lelouch's old friend was making a habit of it.

"I was just returning the favor. From seven years ago." it really didn't seem like that for Lelouch, but Suzaku then remembered the third person from their reunion in the tunnel. "what about the girl from the capsule?"

"I don't really know, we got separated during the fray. But you would know about her more than I do right?" it was pretty much the truth, and it was enough for Suzaku

"No." Suzaku was still uninformed about what had really happened. The select few who did know were either in hiding or mysteriously dead.

"I see." Lelouch had suspected that had been the case, he just needed to be sure. Suzaku was still just an honorary Britannian.

"And about your name. Do I still call you Lelouch?" Suzaku asked. Shortly after they had parted ways Suzaku had done his best to keep track of his friends, to be there when they would need him, with no success.

A new life requires a new name, a new history, and the former prince had opted to keep it simple. "The records count my old identity among the dead. I go by the name Lelouch Lamperouge now."

"Oh." Suzaku recognized it as the maiden name of Lelouch's mother and he was one of a handful of people who knew that. Many of the knights of the round that came from humble families, would choose to erase their family name from their records. Some did it to protect their families from becoming a target, the rest to hide the shame of their heritage.

"And you? What happened at your court marshal? Why did you enroll at this school?" Lelouch asked, trying to find out who he needed to thank for this chance to talk with his friend again.

The soldier boy started to smile, and even laughed just a little bit. "I was surprised as you are. What are the odds that we'd end up at the same school. Truth is, I was told someone arranged for me to receive a proper investigation, and that person said a seventeen year old should be in school."

Lelouch couldn't help but laugh a little himself, then asked Suzaku a question he'd been waiting all day for. "If you have the time, could you come with me? There's someone else who needs to know you're here."

* * *

Under the Shinjuku ghetto, Phillips gave Noble Six the latest news update.

"The blood of the samurai faction is under attack and the viceroy is leading the charge. Apparently someone Started a rumor that Zero was working with them." Six said as he watched the recorded news video in the corner of his HUD while moving large chunks of concrete.

The containers with the parts for the stratellites were modular by design. Smaller boxes able to connect together for easier shipping. Detaching them from each other wasn't a problem, but some of them were still too big to carry up the ladder through the crew hatch. So for most of the morning Noble Six had been using the gravity hammer to clear away debris and break off large chunks of the tunnel floor covering the topside cargo hatch. Funny thing was, while the spartan had been using the blade on the other side of the hammer to split the stone like material, he did use the blunt end to clear away the remains of the semi-truck. That was when he discovered that the hit gauge on his HUD read infinite, something he'd never seen before.

However the news report had put the Spartan's mind on other things and even the dumbest of AIs could catch the agitation in Noble Six's voice as he read the current military deployments."Wishing you were there?" Phillips asked.

"A little bit." Noble Six answered as the final piece of the mortar floor broke off before picking it up. "Their group is still only using the original Japanese military surplus from the war. They'll be ripped to shreds in seconds."

"Too late to do anything about it now." Phillips flinched at the crunch of stone and cement as Six's grip tightened on the last slab of concrete. "we really need to find you a better stress reliever."

"If you want to do that then find a way to get me into the fight!"

* * *

At the club house that Lelouch and Nunnally called home, the older brother had a surprise. "Nunnally, I got a present for you today."

"Really! What could it be?"

Lelouch motioned for Suzaku to enter. He slowly approached, careful not to give himself away, then gently took Nunnally's hand in his.

"Huh?" even after all these years she still recognized his touch. "Ah! This hand... I knew it. I just knew you'd be alright."

"It's been a long time, Nunnally." longer than she could know, but now the trio of friends were together again. It was the happiest they had been in a long time.

They spent the rest of the day catching up for lost time. Trading stories, of course the topic of Shinjuku never came to light. It wasn't until Sayoko called them to dinner that they realized what time it was.

"So tell me you will stay the night won't you?" Nunnally asked looking for reassurance that once he left it wouldn't be for good.

Lelouch though was the one to give the good news. "Suzaku's enrolled as a student at Ashford academy now. So you can see him any time you want to."

"Is that true?" She asked.

Seeing her smile, it almost killed Suzaku to disappoint her. "Well, I still have military duties. So I can't be here everyday."

Nunnally was crestfallen by this news. "Oh you're... You're still in the military?"

"Don't worry. I've been reassigned to the engineering core. It's a lot less dangerous." Suzaku said putting her mind at ease.

"Oh cool, engineering." Lelouch said as he collected the tableware to take back to the kitchen.

Actually it was more like relief for Lelouch since that meant Suzaku would be away from the battle field and out of danger. Despite the success of the rescue, Lelouch still didn't want to see his friend at risk like that again.

"Oh let me help you." Suzaku said as he started to get up.

"You just sit down. Unlike seven years ago. we get to be your hosts now." it was here that Lelouch started to notice the changes that time had left on his old friend. "It's funny, you're a lot more mellow then you used to be."

"And you're a bit more rough." he said as he sat back down.

"Heh, I suppose."

When Lelouch walked into the kitchen he found his new green haired room mate. Always with that same dead pan look on her face.

"I told you to stay in my room."

She simply shrugged off his disappointment to focus on the elephant in the dining room. "That boy out there. He's the soldier from Shinjuku isn't he. Is that wise?"

"Don't worry it's fine. He's..." Lelouch was a little hesitant to tell her what Suzaku was to him and his sister. Not because of shame from him being an honorary Britannian, he'd never feel that. "He's a friend from the past."

"You should come by again Nunnally would enjoy it."

"Sure, but... Lelouch I... I don't think we should be seen together at school."

"What do you mean?"

"Think, how would you explain it? Being friends with an honorary Britannian." What came next to Suzaku's surprise, Lelouch almost exploded in anger.

"Doing it again huh? Everyone's needs but your own!"

"Again?"

"Forget it." Lelouch realized he was showing he had knowledge of events he had no part in. And immediately calmed back down.

"Thanks for having me. It was a lot of fun. See ya later."

"Right." his friend was safe, and now out of the line of fire, anything else could wait now.

Just before he was out of ear shot, Suzaku said this. "I'm so glad, you know. I never though we'd get another chance to talk like this."

All Lelouch could do was watch his first, and best, friend walk away. Back across the line that he had drawn for himself seven years ago.

* * *

While Shinjuku was a ghetto of damaged and dilapidated buildings, its neighbor the Tokyo settlement was a single 90 meter tall shining white immaculate structure covering 70 square miles.

In truth the entire settlement was a white wash, built-in a series of layers to hide the less pleasing parts. The concept wasn't new to Noble Six as many of the inner colonies used such structures around their capitals and space elevators. On the whole this Britannian design had three primary layers to the structure with various sub layers and other structures added to the lay out. On the top or surface of the structure were the public and comers sectors: parks, shopping districts, media entertainment, and educational institutes. One difference the spartan and AI had noted was several private residence mixed into the layout towards the viceroy's palace, probably the nobility and super rich. The two middle layers would be reserved for bulk storage and transit paths for the monorail and motor vehicles, the Britannians seemed to have also out fitted several sections with urban living structures for the working class and less. The third level focused on utilities: water, power, gas, etc. The bottom, ground, floor was where the utilities were meant to go, but really it was the real remains of the original Tokyo city.

While the two center layers could give anyone almost free access to any part of the settlement, they were also a literal maze down there. There was a report of an entire covenant battalion that chased a group of fleeing refuges through a similar structure on the Arcadia colony. Refuges came out the other end intact, the battalion blasted their way through the roof a week later after two platoons went in to find them. And didn't come back.

Which is why when Phillips was unable to create a proper map of the settlements internal structure despite his best efforts, Noble six had decided to use the Ashford Academy's front door instead of the usual back door infiltration.

It really wasn't all the AI's fault. He was able to gather a good amount of detail however all he really had to go on at the time was orbital satellite footage and a handful of traffic cameras which only covered about 10% of the settlements internal structure. The settlements primary security was run through the Military Police, which used a closed circuit, hard-line network run out of the viceroy's palace. Just out of Phillips reach.

Of course by now Phillips had been able to get access to the city records and compile a more complete idea of what the layout of internal structure was. However Noble Six was not getting there on foot this time.

With his rather restricted hacking ability Phillips was able to hire a local trucking company to move the stratellite components directly to the school. When Six asked how the AI was able to pull it off Phillips gave him a rather simple explanation of manipulating the company's transport schedules for the day to include a trip through the Shinjuku Ghetto to acquire a specific set of parcels at a predetermined point.

Also one of the local, minor, drug lords was going to be without his protection money for a while.

Once the UNSC crates were picked up the spartan was able to use active camouflage and hitch a ride inside the truck all the way to the Academy. Now he had arrived at his destination, and his patience had warn thin.

"Oh come on, its a little funny." Phillips said as Six jumped out the semi truck's trailer the second the double doors opened. Noble Six refused to dignify his accusation with a response.

Half way through the ghetto, the truck had hit an extra nasty bump. That sudden motion caused one of the stacks of boxes to break loose and spill their contents all over him. The good news was there were no liquids in the shipment, the bad was this was how the spartan discovered the trucks next destination was a bulk hardware store. After a box of hammers had landed on his head, Six had checked his helmet for dents over four times.

* * *

The next day Suzaku's luck turned on him once again. This time in the form of three Britannian students with an apparent axe to grind. "I know you killed him! Just admit it!" The leader of the trio said.

Suzaku had been expecting this for a while. These kids were members of the school's student self-defense force. They had cornered him behind one of the school buildings where no one would notice.

"I hear you're the son of last prime minister of Japan!" He continued to push his view like it was a universal fact. "You have the motive!"

"Is there any point to this? I went to court and was acquitted." Suzaku said hoping to calmly settle this.

However the three kids had no desire to listen to an eleven. "What!? How dare you talk back like that, you're a mere honorary Britannian!" The leader said with the same bravado that the vast majority of Britannians all but oozed.

"It's useless. I'm a trained soldier." Suzaku said since logic and reason didn't seem to be working perhaps they would listen to a show of force.

But then the other two students rushed him and pinned his arms to the wall.

"Hold Him!" their leader said as he moved in to strike.

But the kid's fist never landed as a large object struck the boy right on the top of his head.

'A book?' Suzaku thought As he realized what had hit his would be attacker. It was a thick hard cover text-book, the kind that could stop a bullet.

Two more thick textbooks then landed squarely on the heads of the kids pinning him to the wall. Suzaku looked up to find the source of his reprieve, a female student with long vibrant pink hair standing in a open second story window.

"Um… are you okay?" she asked, showing genuine concern. Between the tactical book strike and a very pretty girl talking to him, all that Suzaku could think of for a response was, 'What?'

"I accidentally dropped some books." She said, trying to clear up the boy's confusion.

Suzaku looked back down at the three kids that had been knocked unconscious by the falling literature. If a direct hit to the head was an accident, then what would it look like if she actually tried.

It was then she asked him the last thing he expected to hear. "Can you tell me where the library is? I just transferred here and I don't know where it is."

"Then you should ask someone else." he said as he began making the same excuse he gave Lelouch "You shouldn't get involved with me."

Despite being grateful, he didn't want to cause anyone trouble.

However any further words of discouragement were rendered moot as said girl suddenly jumped out the second story window. Suzaku immediately jumped into action and easily caught her.

"I'd like you to show me around. Suzaku Kururgi." she said to the shocked soldier boy. Whoever this girl was, it had become obvious she wasn't going to accept no.

* * *

A short time later Lelouch's phone started to ring. However it wasn't Shirley or any other members of the student council. This was a call from the terrorists he'd convinced into helping him free Suzaku. Their leader, Ohgi, sounded scared.

"It hasn't made the news yet but the blood of the samurai faction was wiped out by Cornelia. They were the largest group we had in central Japan. Look zero, it won't be long till she comes after us."

"Just keep your head, our chance will come." Lelouch said.

"But-"

"Sit tight I'll contact you latter." calls like that were starting to become more frequent. Asking for advice on possible missions or what to do, since things were getting heated. Lelouch was beginning to question the idea of cutting ties with them, before they got caught. 'If I do then I'll probably lose the Spartan too. No, I'll need him later. If I could get him to take off his helmet then I could use my Geass.'

Lelouch knew this Spartan could jump-start a lot of his plans. A man with possible military connections and technology that mainstream Britannian was nowhere near achieving. He would have him. Which reminded The boy that he had one more job to do.

A short while later...

"Fiddling with your costume again?" C.C. Asked as Lelouch sat at his desk with the mask of zero in his hands.

"I'm just checking everything to make sure it doesn't malfunction on me." While the green haired pest in Lelouch's room always spoke without any tone or spirit. He was starting to pickup some emotions, but it was still hard to tell.

"This is an intrecate design." she said as she got a closer look at it.

Thinking this might be her curiosity, he showed her more of it. "It has a voice changer, too. That way, they can't get my voice print."

"I see." she then poked it, as if it would respond.

"Don't touch it."

Then again maybe she was being sarcastic again, it was hard to tell with her. After one last look over he set it on a table next to the window. "Okay maintenance is done. Now for the cape…huh?"

He had taken his eyes off it for just a second, but the mask had suddenly disappeared, but there was only one other person with him. "C.C. Give it back."

"Give what back?" She asked.

"The mask."

"What are you talking about?" She was not playing dumb, it wasn't her style.

"Meow."

Both of them looked at the source of the sound and saw a dark grey cat, wearing the mask of zero.

The scream Lelouch let out was so loud the windows almost shook, and the cat ran like crazy out the door.

"What was that scream I just heard?" Nunnally shouted as she came into the hall.

"Nunnally? It's nothing. Don't worry about it-" the masked cat suddenly took off down the hall "HEY! Come back!"

The feline ignored any please from the boy as it bolted through an open window to the outside.

"There's no way I'm getting exposed by a lousy feline!" Lelouch shouted as he chased after said animal.

* * *

At that same moment Suzaku and his strange rescuer, who had asked the young soldier to call her Euphy, were sitting down at the edge of the academy's junior high section of the school, enjoying a break from walking, a snack, and surprisingly enough? Each others company.

"It's delicious." Suzaku said as he took another bite of the snacks the pinket girl had given him.

I'm glad. Please have some more. It's a token of appreciation for showing me around.

Suzaku couldn't help but accept. "You bring snacks in addition to lunch?"

"I need snacks at 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock."

While Suzaku was the only Japanese high school student at the academy, he wasn't the only one in the entire school. The year before many honorary Britannian children were accepted into the elementary and middle school classes. Not a popular move by the Ashfords, but it did eventually become a widely accepted one. To Suzaku it was an example of a step towards peaceful coexistence without bloodshed. But it still had its flaws, the three kids that jumped him were prof enough. However, Euphy was clearly quite the opposite of them. Not once during their walk through the school grounds did she talk down to him, ignore, or even try to distance herself from him.

"Okay I'll pass this back to you. I haven't kicked a ball since I was a little girl. Her you go!" however Euphy's effort ended with her landing on her back, hard, while the soccer ball only rolled an inch.

"Euphy!" that was the worst kick Suzaku had ever seen, and judging by the way she landed she might have hurt herself from the fall.

However before he could move to check, she just got back up. A little embarrassed and maybe a smudge or two on the back of her uniform, but other wise unharmed. She then brushed the bits of grass off the back of her skirt without a single complaint. Right before picking up the ball and walking it over to the two smaller kids.

"Here. I should have just handed it to you from the beginning. Here you go."

Suzaku watched as the two middle school kids thanked her and left. Keeping a close eye on her to make sure she was ok. An also, she surprised him. Like in some rare cases she wasn't what he was used to seeing when it came to typical Britannian behavior. She never yelled or complained, said please and thank you. proving one an honorary Britannian Suzaku met in boot camp wrong that those words did exist in their vocabulary.

"This is an ideal school," she said with a heart felt smile. "where elevens and Britannians are integrated."

But to Suzaku it was more bitter sweet. "Yes. But in reality, we do not get along. I wonder if it's even possible sometimes."

"It's not impossible. If both sides would get to know one another, that's all it takes." She said refusing to give into the negativity.

Listening to this girl was almost surreal, was this how he sounded to Lelouch? "You are free of prejudice aren't you Euphy?"

"Before we are elevens or Britannians, we are humans." She said as she sat back down next to him, "So why should we discriminate?"

For the first time in a long while Suzaku smiled, both for himself and her. "If everyone thought like you there would be no war."

"You don't share my views?" She said looking a little hurt.

"Well…" it wasn't like that, not at all. He shared her view, but "people are difficult. Although it doesn't mean I want to give up."

* * *

Back at the club house Milly, Rivalz, and Nina had come at Nunnally's request since their other activities were done. Not that they would have turned her down if they were busy, especially with the concern they could hear in her voice.

"Lelouch just took off after a small animal?" Milly asked trying to find out what happened.

"Yea that's right. I think a cat ran off with something pretty important to him."

"Important?" That got everyone's attention.

"Yea I'm not sure what exactly, but I'm positive it was something of value to him. Because… I've never heard my brother sound like that! He was completely hysterical."

"That is weird. What could be so important to the guy?" Rivalz had a big point. For as long as any of them had known their aloof student vice president. The most important thing in the world to him was sitting right there in front of them. So what could a cat carry off that would get Lelouch, the most stoic person they know, to freak out and chase after it?

Nina was the first to have a theory. "A love letter?"

"An embarrassing photo?" Milly suggested next, her inner gossip monger at work.

"Poetry he wrote?" Rivalz said being the last, and probably the most far off.

"Poetry?" none of those things they said sounded to Nunnally like something a cat would take, or her brother Lelouch would have on him to be taken.

But then it wouldn't matter as Rivalz and Milly shared a smile of a sinister nature. Their friend Lelouch was looking for something, and it was important.

"Leave it to us. Well get our hands on this thing before Lelouch has a chance to blink! Just you wait!" Rivalz said with his brand of enthusiasm. Lelouch was his friend and meant what he said, but not before the madam 'prez' had her fun first.

* * *

At that same moment, Lelouch was frantically trying to apply his big brain to this problem of feline catch and retrieve, and failing miserably at it. His biggest problem was his own body, Lelouch was in no real way out of shape but he also had no real athletic skill either. Several times he'd lost sight of it because it had taken a turn sharper, run faster, or jump higher than he could.. he needed help.

"If I had those terrorists with me, I could encircle the enemy. Maybe Kallen... No, she's suspicious of me enough as it is." Lelouch then briefly paused as the schools PA system gave off it's usual chime before unscheduled announcements were given.

"This is Milly Ashford, your student council president. Cat hunt, everybody!"

Lelouch's mouth could have hit the floor right at that moment.

"There's a cat loose on campus that needs to be rounded up. Put everything on hold people. Participating clubs will get budget priority. And whoever catches our feline friend will get an extra special prize: A big old kiss from one of the members of the council!"

* * *

Else where, two of the female student council members were brought to a dead halt at that news. Shirley, at the school's high dive, slipped from shock and tumbled end over end into the water.

Kallen, outside, walking to the student council club house was still processing the news.

"Members of-" Then it hit her like a load of bricks, "Wait Like Me!"

"Exactly!"

Kallen was shocked beyond words as members of the gardening and film clubs popped out of the bushs around her. Their imaginations twisting with the idea on what they might get to do with her, before they all scattered to find the notorious feline.

"There's no way that's how I'm going to get my first kiss." Kallen said as she ran off to find the cat herself and avoid the potential nightmare.

* * *

And since Milly's announcement covered the entire campus, Suzaku decided to throw his hat into the ring as well. His best friend was on the that council it would be wrong to do anything less.

"I'd better go, they may need help."

Euphy's smiled as she called after him. "Good luck."

An for the first time in years the young boy's heart was at ease. He'd never felt this way about a girl before. The closest anyone was came was Nunnally, who he loved like a sister. "I'll see you later. If that's possible."

"Yes. Of course, I'll see you again later."

* * *

Down in the school's knightmare hanger Noble Six watched the last few students there charge for the door in mass. It was a lucky break for him since he'd been stuck for a plan to get them out.

"Looks like you won't have to worry about pulling the fire alarm." Phillips said as the spartan dropped the active camo.

"We got lucky, some of those kids were getting a little too close to the stratellite crates." Six then paused looking back up at the school's knightmares once again. Compared to the sutherlands he'd seen in Shinjuku, the MR-1 was a metal scarecrow. What made it worse, almost all attempts by the UNSC to create their own piloted mecha had been epic fails. Only two models ever came close to the matching the MR-1's performance. The HRUNTING Mark III [B] Exoskeleton, or cyclops, was the first one produced, but it was designed for heavy labor and cargo hauling. The other one was the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Armor Defense System, also known as the Mantis, it was still in development but Six saw the designs while working in the saber project. Over all, it took a step back from the humanoid design of the cyclops and was actually more of a mobile weapons platform. Heavy machine guns and five barell heavy rocket pod with tracking missiles were the primary armament. That much fire power could easily decimate both covenant and Britannian armor in seconds. However what Britannia lacked in armor and weapons, they excelled in speed and mobility. All the guns in the world would be worth squat if you couldn't hit the target.

Noble Six rapped the side of his helmet, realizing he was getting side tracked, the kids were gone, he was alone, he needed to finish before someone caught this cat everyone was chasing. Six began opening the containers, "Okay, I'm gonna need a wrench, a power drill with a 3 1/2 inch hole saw, a soldering iron, and a ball pin hammer."

It was one of office of naval intelligence's little SNAFU tricks they like to put in their stuff when it was not being handled by them directly. The stratellites payload could be assembled without the tools since it was a series of interlocking pods filed with electronics, but then it would most likely explode when it was turned on. The hole saw was going to be used to cut open two plates that separated a critical power juncture. The soldering iron would close a gap in the circuitry, they never put it in the same place twice but Six knew what to look for. The wrench would be used to turn the handle for the main locking bolt that would seal the payload together. The hammer would then be used to knock the covers off the four latches that would secure it to the envelope.

Of course everyone he talked to that had to deal with these little traps said they'd rather be using it on the head of the guy that came up with them in the first place.

* * *

Back up above every student was looking for this mysterious cat that had appeared on campus. Kallen was tying extra hard to be the first to catch it, not because she wanted the reward, in fact quite the opposite.

"Offering up people as prizes. That's why I really hate Britannians." Kallen grumbled a loud before slowing down to a walk as several pairs of students passed her before taking off at a run again. "Dam it! Why do I have to act like I'm sick an feeble." Kallen rounded a corner and nearly knocked over another student. "Jeez I'm sorry about that. huh? Shirley, why are you dressed like that?"

The orange haired girl was still in her school issue one piece swimsuit instead of her uniform, and the pool was halfway across the campus.

"I didn't have time to change, they're going to make us kiss somebody! We have to hurry!" She said, almost scared out of her wits.

"I'm with you." Kallen said before taking off her school coat and giving it to the half naked swimmer, "but first you should cover up."

* * *

Over at the club house Nunnally was starting to regret going to Milly about the cat. In hind sight she should have realized the student council president would turn this into a circus. Any way it was too late to call the prez off the hunt now she had the scent. The whole thing had gotten so out of hand that she'd forgotten she was expecting company. Meaning if her legs worked, Nunnally would have jumped out of her chair when Ms. Sayoko opened the door.

"Lady Nunnally, your visitor is here."

The young blind girl easily recognized the footsteps of a small, lighter, set of feet. "Alice."

Alice Liddel was a blond, 15 year old girl, about the same height as Nunnally, if she could stand up, with her hair tied up in pig tales that reached down just past her shoulders. During her first year at Ashford, Nunnally, had been picked on relentlessly by her fellow, noble blooded, classmates. Since she and her brother had left the name Britannia behind,the special treatment given by the Ashford had put her in their crosshairs. Their abuse varied from name calling to trying to tip over her motorized chair. Despite all the trouble they gave here, Nunnally never told a word of this to her brother Lelouch, he needed to be here to have friends like he did now. Then one day someone made the bullies stop, Alice. But the former princess wouldn't know that until a week later, during the school festival that same year.

"What exactly is going on out there? Its mass chaos."

Nunnally started to pout, from all the trouble she caused. "It's mostly my fault, I told Milly about a cat that had taken something from my brother."

"You told her?" Alice shuttered, Milly Ashford, the student council president. Alice knew all to well of the president's style of doing things, flashy and extravagant, To the extremes. If she wanted it Milly would use every resource available to her. That kind of drive could be scary at times. "Its okay I've come to realize the president is only trying to help," a team of riderless horses suddenly ran past the french doors leading out to the patio. "in her own crazy way."

* * *

Eventually the two girls of the student council got lucky as the cat crossed their path and they chased it under a desk in a dead-end under some stairs. Kallen had ended up sharing her uniform's coat with Shirley to help her not draw too many stairs from other boys. A quote of "I would die of embarrassment if Lulu sees me like this." Had come from Shirley before she accepted, after Kallen suggested she take it to cover up. Now the cat was cornered, time to focus.

"Okay we do this right and our lips will be safe. Shirley you cover the rear." Kallen said as she started to approach the cornered feline. neither of them had gotten a good look at the cat before it had dived for cover but Kallen had noticed something strangely familiar about it and wanted to be the first to investigate.

However Kallen's eagerness suddenly sparked a rather unpleasant memory for Shirley. "Uh, Wait a sec!"

"What's the matter?"

"Who would you want to get a kiss from? Is there anyone in particular?" she asked, with the memory of Lelouch and Kallen kissing played in her head.

However since that never really happened the red-head had no idea what she was talking about and just replied with "Huh?"

"It wouldn't be Lulu would it?"

"Just what would make you think that?" Kallen asked back since she had no idea what brought this on. Kissing him was the last thing she wanted, in fact her one on one experience with him has made her want to slug him if anything.

"Oh well... I guess it's..." now Shirley felt awkward, now she wasn't really sure how to tell Kallen that she had seen her and Lelouch together the other day.

As both of them continued to argue about the reward the cornered feline in question silently slipped away.

* * *

Of course the chaos inside the school did not go unnoticed by those on the outside. Crouched on top a somewhat secluded spot of wall that circled the school's entire estate was a young man of apparent eleven dissent, wearing a black long coat, his long black hair was tied in a loose ponytail with a white ribbon, allowing some of the long, spiky bangs to hang over his face, obscuring a small part. At the moment he was doing everything he could not to laugh his head off while watching the students frantically run around the campus like chickens with their heads cut off

"I swear Lan, you really got to check this out it's like a three-ring circus in there.

While the young man watching the spectacle unfold was enjoying himself, his friend Lan Hikari was not. "Ling! Get down from there! The last thing we need is one of us getting into trouble that none of us can afford. Like getting us arrested!"

"Right," Ling Yao said just before shifting his position on the wall so he was hanging from it by his legs "Like you yesterday when you broke up that fight between the Japanese and those two brat Britannian students, back in Shinjuku?"

"And who was it that jumped in front of him two seconds later?"

Bother men turned to see their boss, James White. Looking less than pleased.

"Sorry sir." Lan said standing at attention.

However that was the last thing James wanted him to do. "SSSSHHHHHH! We don't have the luxury of military titles here."

"Yes sir-" Lan stopped himself there. "Right, sorry James."

"Anyway Ling, Get Down From There!"

"Okay, okay. But..." Ling flipped off his perch to execute a perfect landing next to Lan. "what's with putting Thomas in a headlock?"

James looked at the fourth member of their little troop who's neck he had securely wrapped his arm around.

"He tried walking onto the school grounds, via the front entrance."

"Come on, can't you cut me some sla-ACK!"

"Three times, three!" James said as he tightened his hold "Seriously Thomas, you're lucky I can't court-martial you for disregarding direct orders, several attempts of going AWOL, and-"

James voice was drowned out as a young girl's voice cried out "meow" shortly followed by the rest of the students. "If I had my M6 I could have you shot."

* * *

Lelouch was starting to question the idea of getting a new mask, or at the very least using his geass on the first person to actually catch this cat. Strangest thing was, it had been two hours Milly had gotten the whole school involved and no one had come close to catching this feline felon. The whole academy student body was searching, six grades of at least two hundred students each, and no one had even got a clear view of what the cat had on its head. Of course the vice president geassing everyone into forgetting what they saw may have been a minor factor in it.

Reguardless there was a limit to how well he could keep track of the animal. on several occasions he lost track of it only to find the small animal again later, running away in a completely different direction. plus there were the close calls when students came close to catching the cat. amusingly when it came to the male students they actually started beating each other up when any of them came close to cornering the animal. of course Lelouch's heart almost stopped when Shirley and Colin came the closest to capturing the poor creature. however they stopped to argue for some unknown reason, which he had no interest in since the cat snuck away before it needed to become relevant in total the entire thing was driving him nuts by this point he was stuck on the ground watching as the cat ran along the rooftops up till it found an open window on the schools Clocktower which was perfect for Lelouch that part of the school was technically a sealed structure one way in one way out at the bottom of the tower there is no way I could lose now he thought as he entered the base of the tower.

"Lelouch?"

Crud it was the last person he wanted to see at this delicate point. "Suzaku, Why are you here?"

A low meow echoed through the towers hollowed structure

"I was looking for the cat as well." He replied.

Double crud he was on the same feline Chase as everyone else and what's worse he was on a very very short list of people that Lelouch refused to use his power on. If he saw the mask on the cats head... it would all be over.

"Leave it to me I'll catch up on you don't need to I'll handle this." Suzaku said as he started up the stairs that ran up the clock tower.

"You don't need to do this!" Lelouch shouted as he chased after him.

"But I've always been more athletic than you."

Lelouch watched as Suzaku charged ahead by leaps and bound while he himself was starting to gasp for breath. "Oh for Pete's sake... He always was an exercise nut." But he wouldn't stop, his life literally depended on it.

Suzaku was closing in on the cat. Lelouch needed to think of something fast, but nothing was coming. Then another unexpected thing happened. "Woah!" The vice president shouted as he suddenly slid a foot down the roof.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted before retreating back down the clocks roof to help his friend.

As Suzaku slid back down the roof, Lelouch was just barley able to catch the mask of zero slipping off the cat's head. Then tumble down the side of the roof where it got caught on a lightning rod above one of the other windows, just within an arms reach. Then he did something he did not intend, his footing gave out and he started sliding again. This time his feet failed to find any grip to halt his downward slide as they passed over the gutters and into open air.

At the last second Suzaku's hand reached out and caught Lelouch's wrist.

* * *

After Lelouch had been pulled to safty Suzaku climed back up the roof and caught the cat. Noticing it was the same one from yesterday, reminded him not to have a repeat of the tree. So when the cat pounced, he was able to block the teeth and claws with the thick fabric of his uniform. Now he was carrying the feisty feline down the stairs while it did its best to chew its way through his sleave.

Once he'd reached the ground floor, he discovered the crowd that had formed from his performance back on the roof. They could be here for the cat, if that was the case Suzaku had no qualms about giving him to the first one to ask.

"Thanks for saving Lulu." Said a girl wearing only a school swimsuit and overcoat

Thanks? That was the best responce that he could have hoped for.

"And where is Lelouch?" Milly asked with full knowledge of where the boy was, but more to discover why he had stayed up there.

"He said he forgot something so we told me to go on ahead." Suzaku replied

"That's it the embarrassing secret!"

"Please don't say weird things you always make up silly stories." There he was, empty-handed and void of any evidence of what the cat might have had on him.

"Aw," the perz moaned, "and just when I thought I had some dirt on you."

"Are you two friends?" Shirley asked, noticing their casual attitude twards each other.

"But... he's an eleven." Nina said like such an idea was the plot to a horror story.

And here it came, the moment where he would use to set the record straight for everyone. Forever. "No I'm-"

"Yes," Lelouch said cutting him off. "he's my friend. Milly, can we have him join the student council?"

"Sure I can't say no to the vice president"

Suzaku couldn't believe it. He'd tried to distance himself from Lelouch and Nunnally to protect them. Now they would be closer than ever, the eleven boy wasn't sure he should curse Lelouch or thank him.

"Well then I'd say that's the end of that." Nunnally said as she wheeled herself to the front of the crowd. "Now come here you two and lend me an ear."

As they both moved in they suddenly felt a light peck on the cheek.

"Nunnally!"

"There you go the reward miss Milly promised. Since you both caught the cat you'll just have to settle for me. Almost a real council member." In the end everyone excepted the young girls ruling and cheered the cats capture.

All though Shirley was a little disappointed that her chance at Lelouch had passed her by. She held no grudge for the young girl. In fact it was kind of a relief, of all the other girls she knew Nunnally was the best choice. Then Rivalz went and opened his big mouth and ruined the mood for her.

"All right then let's celebrate the catching of the cat! Everything's on the new guy naturally."

"Oh back off! I'm Shirley nice to meet you."

One by one the other members of the student council lined up to great Lelouch's old friend, save Nina. Who had worked her way to the back of the crowed that had formed.

"I'm the president, Milly."

"I'm Rivalz, the student council secretary."

Then out of the crowd a new and familiar voice shouted out. "Suzaku!"

"Euphy!" Suzaku quickly spotted the pink haired owner of that voice and helped her move to the front of the crowd.

"Euphy? No…" Lelouch recognized the girl as well, but under a different title. 'Third princess of Britannia Euphemia.

How could she be here?'

Had he been found out? No, she was wearing a standard academy school uniform. She couldn't be attending this school as an actual full time student otherwise there would be a big announcement and swarm of body guards present to protect her, or Cornelia herself at the very least, both he would be able to see coming a mile away. She could be on one of her little personal tours she likes to take, but there was the uniform again. Not just anybody could get their hands on one, even royalty.

* * *

Once the party was underway and everyone focusing on Suzaku. Lelouch and Euphemia slipped away for a private talk. She was a little surprised to see him when he approached her but she remained quiet as they moved around back of the student club house.

"So Lelouch, it is you. I was told that you died when japan was conquered. I'm really glad your alive." Lelouch would be lying of he said he wasn't happy to see her too, so he eagerly answered the expected question. "How's Nunnally doing?"

"She's doing fine. Although her eyes and legs are still disabled."

"I see." it was sad news to hear.

"Hey Euphy..." now came the hard part, she knew about him and Nunnally being here alive in area eleven. All it would take was one word and she could shine the biggest spotlight on him in seconds, he needed her silence. For a moment the power of his geass began to prickle in his left eye, he could make her forget, even force her to reveal anything she might know about her elder sister and what happened seven years ago. But the felling quickly passed, despite all the anger, the rage, and hate he had for the man he called father. There were still members of his family Lelouch and Nunnally still cared for, and at least one he knew could trust. "Officially, I'm supposed to be dead. This life is the peace we were finally able to achieve." Lelouch said as he pushed his power back down.

Euphy smiled in solemn agreement. "Yes I know. I won't tell anyone that I met you here today. I promise." She remembered the day he was forced to leave, the betrayal, the hurt. This was his nice way of saying go away and never come back. Such a thought pained her, she wanted to stay, to be a part of their lives, to be a family again.

However both of them would get a proverbial bucket of ice water to the face as a third party stumbled into their private talk.

"There you are, Lelouch!"

"Milly." that girl had the craziest timing in the world. Fortunatly it seemed she hadn't heard a word they had said.

Then he was forced to correct himself when she told him why she'd come looking for him. "We've decided on lake Kawaguchi for the social trip." And being a good sport Milly then turned to the pinket and asked, "Would you like to come too? It's this weekend.

Lelouch knew the prez was only trying to share the fun but this wasn't the time and he needed to find a way to separate the two of them. "Milly she's..." however he was drawing up a blank on excuses.

"I can join you?" Euphy said as she realized this could be the perfect chance to extend her time with Lelouch, maybe even see Nunnally.

Luckily for Lelouch the question would go unanswered. Three of the school's staff suddenly rounded the corner. At least that's what they looked like to the random person or student, but Lelouch could easily catch on to their movements, the way they scanned their surrounding, and moved in formation. These were the body guards that he had been waiting to see.

"There you are! Let's head back. The deal was only three days." a woman with short cut hair said while prepairing to give the vice president an icy stare. But Lelouch was already backing away, but for a different reason. Because while these people looked like school faculty members, they were actually soldiers that her big sister Cornelia had assigned to protect her precious Euphy. She was to make sure any boy that got to close to the young princess would have a good reason to go away, Lelouch would rather not risk someone else recognizing him.

As they lead her away she stole one last look at her long lost brother. 'Lelouch. I finally found you. I wanted to talk more.'

Once Euphy and her escort were out of ear shot, Lelouch explained who she was and why he was alone with her. In an interesting turn the gossip queen, who had dirt on all but two people in the whole school, had been completely in the dark to this. "I didn't know a princess was attending our school. Is everything okay?" Milly asked with the same concern Lelouch had when he'd found out the third princess was at the academy, but for slightly different reasons. She and her family were harboring two fallen members of the royal family, if any of the wrong nobles or aires to the throne discovered them here, the Ashford family could be labeled as traitors and executed without trial.

"It should be. Euphy keeps her promises." Lelouch knew he could trust her, unlike other certain members of the school board. "Besides, I think the school needs to check student registrations more carefully." Milly knew the blame would come down on her shoulders for this over site.

"I'll talk to grandpa." she said since she was also one of the few people who know his true identity as well. And feeling sorry that this great big piece of gossip had slipped by her without leaving so much as a smudge.

"Nunnally and I are in hiding here, you know. Please don't forget it."

* * *

Later that day at the school's auditorium. The entire student body came in to watch the prince's, official, funeral broadcast from the homeland. Publicly aired throughout the empire.

After the music ended the emperor himself got up to speak. His tone, stern and commanding as ever. When he spoke, everyone listened.

"All men are not created equal. Some are born swifter afoot. Some with greater beauty. Some are born into poverty. And others are born sick and feeble, both in birth and upbringing. In sheer scope of ability, every human is inherently different. Yes, that is why people discriminate against one another. Which is why there is struggle, competition and the unfaltering march of progress. Inequality is not wrong, equality is! What of the EU, which made equality a right? Rabble politics by a popularity contest. The Chinese Federation with its equal distribution of wealth? A nation of lazy dullards! But not our beloved Britannia. We fight, we compete! Evolution is continuous! Britannia alone moves forward, advancing steadily into the future. Even the death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress. We will fight on! We shall struggle, compete, plunder and dominate! And in the end, the future shall be ours. All hail Britannia!" the Emperor finished, the people before him continuing his cry.

"All Hail Britannia!"

Lelouch tried to look sad on the outside, but he was seething with rage on the inside. If what the emperor said was true. Then what would happen to his sister, to Nunnally? He chose not to think about it, it wasn't the time or place to make a sean.

Deep in the back of the same auditorium the invisible spartan had his own opinion about the emperor's speech. "Darwin must be proud as hell, or rolling in his grave," Noble Six thought out loud as he left through the back of the auditorium, the only sign of his presence was a door suddenly opening and closing.

"He's not entirely wrong," Phillips interjected, "Such notions and concepts are still present, even in the UNSC as we know it. Such feelings are also behind the reasons for the wars and rebellions, even before the covenant ever showed up."

"However, he is wrong on one thing, we're not born into our lot in life, we are brought into it. We are all born equally because we have nothing when we begin just like when we die. we're born with nothing and we die with nothing, all we have to define that time are the choices we make between those points. It's that simple."

"Trouble is people are more willing to listen to a king then they are to you." Phillips added. "And if humanity continues down its current path there won't be anything left for the covenant to..."

"I Know…" Six stopped the AI there "I know. I know, We need to change things before then." the situation was continuing to evolve into an evermore complex problem. Political climates and the current status of the human condition would make any progress slow.

"We have several cryo capsules, if we wait a few centuries we could have better luck with a more advanced generation?" Phillips' idea sounded good, but there were problems with it.

"Not likely. The companies you're setting up need near constant attention. Plus you've got what, five years left?" Noble Six pinched the lip of his hood. It was almost a good idea. But then how many would die that he could have, that he should have helped. "we've got a small window to work with here and now, but if it goes bad? let's just leave that option open for a latter date."

"Very well then..." Phillips sighed, then chuckled just a bit. "I guess there really is no time like the present."

Noble Six looked up to the sky. The stratellites were little more than pin pricks in the sky now. Noble Six had taken a big risk sending them up during the broad cast. But with Britannian being the only real air power in the area the only flights not grounded at this exact moment were the fighter patrols along the chinese border.

"Yea," Six said as he began the long trek back to Shinjuku. "Let's get cracking."

* * *

**Okay there are so many things I want to say about this chapter and few of them are good. One of the problems of being a writer, the worst critic you will ever meet is yourself. I might actualy revise this one before the next post.**

**But anyway, I noticed in the reviews some people wanted to see the mantis as Noble Six's mech. Sorry to disapoint but no, its a good machine but it still has some major draw backs.**

**Any how the spartan finaly has the network power to do some real damage, if he so choses. So please stay tuned for the next chapter later in ocober.**


	8. Turn 7

Turn 7

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, no dice.

Unknown.

* * *

Noble six Stared at the bright pulsing orb of light that hovered in place of Phillips regular avatar. It was a standard function of AIs when their focus was directed inward to the digital realm. The levels of brightness and repetition of the pulses represented how much activity the AI was performing, at the moment the Spartan had the polarization on his helmet turned up to Max to avoid going blind from the rather impressive strobe light effect that was being created.

"So how's the new network." he asked.

The ball of light began shifting and collapsing in on itself until the brightest flash yet revealed Phillips avatar in a explosion of digital windows that zipped and flew around him like a flock of birds. "It. Is. Beautiful! Now I think I understand how a normal people feel when they finally get out of those cryo pods."

"Okay, and what have you been doing for the past seven hours?"

Phillips then dispelled the images and articles before bringing up a list of diagrams, blueprints, and 3D renders with exploded views. Two machines he recognized right off the bat, the Britannian Sutherland and it's predecessor the Kallen girl was piloting, the glasgow. "Collecting information on Britannia's favorite toy, and it would seem we have only scratched the surface of their arsenal. " Then came the one Six hadn't seen in Shinjuku, the Gloucester. A knightmare specifically designed to fight other knightmares.

All the others were the random scraps of public data: earlier models, unclassified prototypes, canceled designs, and proof of concept models. However Noble Six noticed one mech was missing from the list.

"Where's the white one"

"Ah that one," Phillips said as he brought up a picture from the Spartan's battle recorder, "is actually the newest model. Everything is top of the line and state of the art. I've combed over every network and database and only found the machine's designation and it's inventor's name. Knightmare frame Lancelot created by Lloyd Asplund, Earl of California." Six then saw the AI's avatar smile.

"What?"

"According to this file, he's nuts. If it makes his invention work better, he'll jump into a viper pit for it."

Noble Six started to smile as well, working under colonal Ackerson had introduced him to all sorts of people. several were the types of scientist Phillips was talking about, And while 90% of the time that meant smash an grab or assassinations that mostly look like accidents, there were one or two rare missions that included an abduction or a rescue. Six really hated these missions because most of the time it made him feel like an errand boy, but it was necessary for the war effort. At least that's what the col told him to keep him quiet.

One of the most common factors in these abductions or acquisition of assets as the brass called it was the delivery of a message. Work for the office of Naval intelligence and be granted access to nearly unlimited funds resources and otherwise rare material. It was during that 90% of the time that most of the egg heads would turn the offer down, and the acquisition would suddenly become assassination, then there was that rare 10% where Six would watch the person's eyes light up like it was Christmas morning for the first time.

"So we hand him a piece of UNSC tech and we'll get our copy of the white machine's specs. Sounds... interesting."

* * *

The next day in the knightmare hanger, Cornelia was listening to Loyd Asplund, the chef of the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps. Her brother's, second prince Schneizel, personal field research and development team was explaining their new toy.

"It's a seventh generation knightmare frame, making it's abilities far greater then normal."

She had already read the files and dossiers her own people had gathered on it. Were it not for the pilot, she would have been impressed. "I under stand the Lancelot's pilot is an eleven."

"That's correct an honorary Britannian. However-"

The viceroy cut Lloyd off before he could justify the most crucial part of his creation. She already knew she had no say in the boy's job now, but even she couldn't argue with the ASEEC's results. "I'm promoting this man from private to warrant officer, that should satisfy him. I'm trying to win without relying too much on the numbers."

The promotion meant little to the scientist. Not because it had nothing to do with him, which was a factor. Lloyds mind was somewhere else. Last night he had received an email with a coded block of text and a photo. It was a set up for a meeting.

* * *

"Do you think he got the message?" Six asked as he left the tunnels for the empty war-torn remains of Shinjuku. The Spartan would wait until reaching the edge of the settlement before bringing up the active camouflage. With the massacre still fresh in everyone's mind it was still be some time before people would return to the ghetto. The AI's new eye in the sky would alert him to any pedestrians or vehicles that might cross his path. Something to ease the strain on the armor's reactor.

"I've been looking at the guys file. He's a certifiable... everything, he'd catch it even if we left it blank." Phillips said with great enthusiasm, the email that he had sent contained a picture of his white knightmare, taken from the spartan's battle recorder, just before the laser hit. "Making him the foremost expert on these machines in all Britannia."

"Britannia, and not the world?" Then Six suddenly stopped as something clicked in his mind. "Phillips, the knightmare frame has been in active service for over seven years. What have the other nations of the world been doing in response to the development of this weapon?"

"Well they're..." the AI suddenly paused as the answer refused to come forth. "Uh. I was sure...D'OH!" It then dawned on Phillips that he had completely forgotten to expand his data search.

"Just give me the book report later." Six said as he resumed his pace. "And tell me if there's anyone else equally or more intelligent then our professor. Despite what these big brains like to tell everyone, there is always someone out there that's smarter than them."

* * *

Cecile Croomy couldn't help but smile at the young devicer sitting next to her hard at work. He was dedicated, strong , resourceful, a little naive at times, eager to help, and he soaked up information like a sponge. Plus being an amazing pilot and really cute didn't hurt either.

"Sorry you have to sit here watching me do my homework." Suzaku said as he read his history book while writing down the seven sentence answers required for the sixteen questions for his assignment. It was one in a long list of homework assignments that his teachers had given him, under protest, to allow him to catch up to the rest of the classmates. It wasn't really that much trouble, in fact this was last one he needed to do before he was all caught up.

Of course any feelings she had for him were like those of an older sister, something that was seen as an oddity by the vast majority of her peers. Lloyd had almost started a roomer that she was holding romantic interest in the young pilot. She had easily quelled it with the regular brand of tact when it came to reminding him of his manners.

Well... maybe if the age difference between them was a few years shorter, she might consider pursuing a more two way relationship. His firm build, those Strong arm, his sad eyes...

Suddenly the feeling of a bubble popping slipped through her mind as she realized where her thoughts were taking her. "Oh don't worry about it. You've never attended a regular school before, so it can't be avoided." She said trying to remind herself he was too young, at this moment.

"The guys on the student council are helping me too, but it's still hard."

This news brought a smile to the female scientist. "To be perfectly honest with you I was a bit worried. It's supposed to be a liberal school but I was afraid you weren't fitting in too well."

"Me too, I was expecting that but I happened to run into an old friend and he smoothed everything out for me."

Which was mostly true, there were still some kids that went out of their way to avoid him. But things like bullies and acts of vandalism had stopped completely.

"Be sure you never take that friend for granted. If your friendship continues your reunion it won't have been a coincidence, it will have been predestined."

Her remark sounded a little out there to him, but Suzaku liked the meaning that was behind it anyway. The idea that he was meant to find Lelouch and Nunnally brought a warmth to his heart that was as rare as a snowflake in july.

"Anyway please try one of these." Cecile said motioning to a plate of rice balls that the young man had been secretly eying since he sat down to work. It was a hobby of hers every place she went, she would learn something about the local recipes, make it on her own, then share it with everyone she knew. With her own little added twist thrown in.

"Uh thank you I will." he said as he picked one up and bit into it. Suzaku was shocked when instead of the regular salted fish or pickled plumb, his tongue was greeted with something sweeter.

"I'd like your opinion about them." She said as he took a closer look at the rice ball.

"There's jam."

"Yes I just happened to get some lovely blue berries." the smile she gave was just too kind. So the new warrant officer did the only thing he could. Grin and bear eating the rest of it. It wasn't all that bad, just not what he was used to.

Then the boss decided to change the topic for everyone.

"Alright everyone, pack it up, pack it up. We're done for today, don't do anymore, hip hip hooray! That's all folks." the strange little man ended his speech with a large bow like he was ending a play.

Since Suzaku was still relatively new he didn't really know all of Lloyd's cues just yet. A confused look from him was just the excuse Miss Croomy needed to let the boy go and be himself.

"Go to school, classes may be over for the day but it's important to meet your friends and have a social life too."

Once everyone had left Cecil finally packed up her own papers, research materials, and her special treat to share. However she noticed Lloyd standing in front of the Lancelot, staring at it. It wouldn't really have bothered her, but the look on his face was troubling. Normally he'd stair at his creation with great pride or excitement, but now it was sober, almost depressed. "Lloyd is something wrong?"

He practically jumped at her question. Not only had he thought he was alone, but he didn't even notice her walk up to him.

"Cecil! what are you still doing here? I thought you already left." his voice actually shaking.

"I just finished packing up. So why do you look like we've just got a budget cut?"

"I'm expecting... a guest to show up. I was hopping to keep it-"

"Clandestine?"

Cecil's breath hitched as a new voice from behind her finished the earl's sentence. It was so close she thought she could feel a hot breath on her neck.

She turned around expecting to see their guest and saw... Nothing. There was nobody there.

"Over here actually." the invisible voice said as one of her rice balls flew off the tray and hovered in the air in front of them.

"Are you the demon of-"

"Shinjuku? Yes, yes I am. So are you ready to make a deal?" Noble Six said, finishing Ms Croomy's sentence.

Since the Shinjuku incident, roomers had spread like wild fire of a large armored figure that tore through an entire squad. During the former margrave's brief administration, Jeremiah had kept a lid on the squads unexplained death up until his arrest. After that the roomer mill seemed to explode over night. One of the most common was a picture of the sean, on the wall above its one survivor, written in blood, was a message 'the demon wakes.'

Then out of nowhere a huge figure appeared, eight feet high and shrouded in a large, black hooded coat. With it's back turned to them and a light smacking of lips, the rice ball was eaten. "that was actually quite good. Where did you purchase it."

Some of the fear Cecil felt in her core started to melt at that complement. "I made it actually?"

The figure turned to look strait at her. Four lights glinting within the black void of the hood. Boring into her like soulless eyes.

"Really we must trade recipes some time." the smile she gave was so bright it could have glowed. So many had either criticized or said nothing at all about her cooking for so long she considered giving it up on several occasions.

The idea that Cecil's list of crazy cuisine might suddenly grow, turned Lloyds stomach. But more than that, this enigma didn't come here to discuss food. "What do you want?"

"Really, world peace. However I'll settle for the blueprints to the Lancelot."

Lloyd was outraged. "How Dare You! Do you think I'd let you-" before he could finish their guest shoved an open folder with several papers into his hands.

"Do you understand these?"

For a second Lloyd was about to toss them aside. But he then did a double take as he realized what he was holding. His trademark smile was back on his face, bigger than ever. "Are these real?"

"Designs for a working neural up link. This, for a complete copy of the Lancelot's blueprints."

"Done." he immediately pulled a cd out of his pocket and slapped it strait into the demon's hand. The man's mind was practically swimming with applications for this technology, but only half really pertained to knightmares other than his.

"Lloyd!" Cecil started, then he handed her several pages. One look and she immediately went silent.

Cybernetics were still a experimental technology. adapting circuitry to a nervous system was tricky, too much heat would build up in the mechanical components and damage the human tissue. That was just one of the problems whit this technology, If these designs was correct then those problem could- no! Would be solved over night.

"If you patent this, it should also solve any future funding problems."

Cecil could barely believe all this. She finally looked up from the paper only to realize the demon was already gone.

* * *

Back at the school everyone was going about their regular business.

In the club house Shirley and Kallen were assembling a kitty castle for what was becoming the student councils new mascot. The cat that Milly had the entire school chase for half the day, was now going by the name Arthur.

What to name the cat had been a hot debate topic for the members of the student council. Names like panda, schrodinger, Tama, JC Maxwell, Doppler, and even Michelle had been tossed around until the majority had decided on Lelouch the second. Of course the original Lelouch voted to remove the cat from the academy grounds entirely, after the trouble he'd caused the vice president it was understandable. However the council's majority decision, over ruled his standing on the case. Just before the final vote was made however, Nunnally came in, and spoke directly with the feline. After what sounded like a short but intense discussion between the young girl and the cat. Nunnally turned to the rest of the student council and said, "His name is Arthur." Which came as somewhat of a surprise to Suzaku because just before the party started, and after he caught the cat, Euphy had done the exact same thing and even said the exact same thing. One thing that had started to bug him about it though was it seemed like the name was actually the cat's idea.

However the real reason Shirley had volunteered to help with the assemble the overly complicated scratching post, as Lelouch called it, was that she wanted some alone time to talk with Kallen.

However for the first three quarters of the project, both girls worked in total silence. The young swimmer wasn't really good when it came to conflicts and had only just worked up the nerve to speak. "Say can I ask you something important?"

"Sure what is it?" the maroon head answered.

"Kallen, are you hiding something from us?"

"Hm?" Kallen asked after she picked up Arthur before he could start messing with the parts of the kitty castle that hadn't been installed yet.

"If it's nothing too personal."

"What are you talking about?" She said as she wrapped her fingers around the small pink bag in her coat pocket. Kallen had many secrets, many very personal. But nearly every one of them lead back to her team mates in Shinjuku.

"You can tell me. I promise not to be shocked or upset, but the thing is... I happened to see you before."

Kallen's grip on her hidden knife quietly tightened until the blade popped out, startling the cat. If Shirley had seen anything that could compromise her cover, then she would need to be dealt with. Quickly.

Shirley couldn't help but let out a light groan. Part of her wanted to do nothing, pretend like it hadn't happened and let things continue on as they were. But not knowing was eating her up inside... so how could she say this? "Your going out with Lulu right!" She asked looking Kallen right in the eye.

"Lulu?" Kallen had heard the name before but wasn't really sure who she was talking about.

"The other day I saw you outside."

Then it suddenly hit Kallen that Shirley was referring to that time outside when she had approached Lelouch in order to ask him about the person that had called her while in the shower. Then for some reason, out of no where, he had grabbed her and held her real close as if to kiss her.

The whole thing was so embarrising that she had almost blocked out the entire event. "Oh! No no no that was all his doing."

"His doing?!" Shirley looked ready to freak out, like a wife who found her husband in bed with another woman.

"No wait it wasn't like that!" Kallen said, trying to think of something to say that would defuse the situation. Unfortunately the truth wasn't really an option.

"I don't get it, you were trying so hard to catch the cat before."

"No that wasn't it! Besides It's not like we kissed or any thing."

This seemed to only just make the situation worse as Shirley sounded more panicked as her vivid imagination went into overdrive.

"Or anything!?" She said as the image of Kallen and Lulu's lips hovering a hairs breath away from each other slipped through her mind. "Then you stopped short of doing it?"

"Will you quit imagining things. You don't under stand the circumstances one bit!" Kallen shouted since things were clearly going astray way to fast.

No matter what Kallen said, it seemed Shirley couldn't help but see it as the boy she loves was slipping away from her.

* * *

Under Shinjuku Noble Six was digging through ammunition and explosives.

After leaving the mech hangar the Spartan had stopped at a cybercafe in order to provide the ship bound AI with a means of reading the contents of the disc that he had acquired. While Phillips was taking the time to copy the information down, six decided to do some intelligence gathering on the viceroys palace with the stratellite's optical observation package.

However all it really did was reconfirm all the reports Phillips had given him about the building's defenses, guard movements and schedules. Dozens of hidden heavy cannon turrets lined outer walls of the building, multiple underground knightmare hangers, and a whole legion of permemtly stationed troops on top of the regular forces that rotated in and out regularly. But Of course these facts didn't bother the Spartan one bit. He was well aware that any security detail had its own set of holes, or points of interest that could be made into holes.

"If you're looking to do some real damage the C12 satchel charges are over by the frag grenades." Phillips said as noble six opening closed his 10th container, having only found a collection of tripods for heavy machine guns. "You'll have to forgive the crew that did the cargo loading, they were in a little bit of a rush and weren't paying that close attention to where what box went next to what crate."

"What I'm actually looking for is the C7 foam."

C7 foaming explosive, another one of the UNSC's unconventional weapons. In effect each individual canister carries the same weight and volume of a large can of shaving cream. With an adjustable nozzle head, allowing the applicator to reach in between small cracks or a wide spout for distributing large amounts in an instant. Of course there were several critics that complained about how each individual can is shipped with both trigger and detonators built-in. However the manufactures were able to ignore these concerns with the proven fact that C7 is nonvolatile in it's condensed form. Safe, reliable, and easier to transport in larg quantities than the more powerful C12 charges.

"I see, going for quantity over quality in collateral damage. It's the crate on your right. Why do you need it any… Wait! You saw that news report didn't you."

"Yes," Six said as he began filling a back pack with the canisters. "And I wouldn't have thought to watch the news if I hadn't seen those troop movements at the viceroys palace yesterday. She has put the Yamato alliance in her cross-hairs, with the ghetto's citizens caught between them. it's going to happen again."

"You don't know that!"

"Can I take that risk?"

Phillips then projected his image right in front of the Spartans face. "Can you? Even if you leave right now, you wont make it in time to save every one. What do you think you can do to change the situation?"

"What every Spartan does, the best they can."

* * *

"The Saitama ghetto is now completely surrounded. the Yamato's alliance is located somewhere in here," general Andreas Darlton said as he pointed to the screen showing the real time tactical display, "half the people in this neighborhood are cooperating with them so if we proceed now-"

The princess raised he hand for silence. She was already quite aware of the situation, it was the main reason she chose this particular ghetto to be made an example of. "What will be the affect on production."

The production, was the local industrial sector's sakuradite processing factories. It was the only real factor that had guided Cornelia's choice in which minor terrorist faction to purge. Darlton was quick to answer, "Primary sector output should decrease by 0.2%" he said.

"Within expectations you mean?" The second princess then turned to a short line of men who weren't part of her inner circle. "Alright, all of you here participated in the Shinjuku disaster is that correct?"

These three men were all that was left of the late viceroy's military advisers. The rest that couldn't handle the disgrace after their lords death had followed him by taken the cowards way out. Their leader Bartley was still back in the home land trying to explain what had happened, and why he shouldn't be executed for it.

The current senior officer thanked her for her generous act of including them in this sortie. "Yes and we're indebted to you princess Cornelia. For you mercy-"

"That's not what I'm asking!" She said, cutting him off. "Do you think the conditions are similar, to those in Shinjuku."

* * *

"Why are you choosing to still working with zero and these terrorists anyway." Phillips said as the Spartan put the last can of foaming explosive into his bag. "The network is up and running at full speed now, anything you want to know in this world I can tell you, anything in this world you need I can get, and anyone who gets in your way will fall like wheat to a –"

Phillips flinched at the sound of the super soldier's new stress reliever popping, a baseball Six had come across during one of his treks through the ghetto. Other various items around the field had led him to believe that there was a game in progress when the previous viceroy had given the order to attack. Right now his grip was so tight on that ball that it had split the leather cover and compromised all four yarn layers, even the cork center had been crushed. "You don't think I know that. It would be easy to remove the Britannian royal family from power, one properly placed explosive, a box of bullets, even a well placed knife is all I would need to take care of the Royals and their supporters. But then what?" Six looked at the twisted remains of the ball before gently putting it down with some reverence to the memory he just destroyed. "I am the tip of the spear, a living weapon, the true soldier. Once a government is toppled something needs to be there to take its place. Otherwise you're left with a power vacuum that will only make the situation worse as people crawl out of the woodwork to either take control, take advantage, take revenge, or just take whatever they want. The only solution I can think of is to just keep killing, I need an alternative."

"And you think working with this guy is your best option at this point?"

Six turned to face the wall monitor that the AI was using to manifest himself. "In many of the missions I have taken part in, missions, that resulted in entire militia groups disappearing. Col. Ackerson charged me with the responsibility of removing the heads of these organizations. Men, and sometimes women, who had the charisma, skills, and a very powerful drive to see things change. "

"And you see these qualities in Zero?" Phillips asked.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't see them in him ." The Spartan then moved to the racks of guns and other projectile weapons. "And he's no idiot... Okay, he hasn't proven he's that smart either. I just have this feeling I can't shake. I need to keep an eye on him, to support him if he's an asset, or kill him if he's a hindrance."

"Zero is a criminal with a flair for the theatrical. I've recreated the same conditions that existed in Shinjuku in order to draw him out. If he's the over confidant type I predict he'll come here to try to kill me." princess Cornelia said as she explained the concept behind her plan.

The advisers gasped, because they were scared. If what happened in Shinjuku was really going to be repeated. Then the death of another member of the royal family would cost them way more then their ranks this time.

"Viceroy! You'd really risk your own life like this."

Such a risk was one that the second princess had chosen to live with ever since she had become a warrior leader. "What you fail to understand is that wars' a struggle between pride and life."

A struggle she had all but mastered.

* * *

At the Ashford school, CC was trying to stop her partner from doing something stupid. So far she was failing miserably.

"Your not falling for the enemies provocation?"

Lelouch just shrugged her off. "They went to such trouble to invite me though. Besides there's something I'd like to ask Cornelia personally." CC could see the drive on Lelouch's face from a mile away, he wanted, he needed, he just had to go.

But it was the last thing he should do. "Destroying Britannia or discovering who murdered your mother, which is more important to you?"

"The two are of equal importance. The royal family members are competing with each other to see who will claim the throne and become the next ruler. Or rather, were being forced to fight. By that man." his father, the man holding the power over all.

"But the thing you hate is the very same thing that makes Britannia strong. The heir that is best fit to be the next ruler of Britannia is the one left standing."

"Exactly." Lelouch knew that was true, all too well, when his father cast him and his sister out. "The weak ones lose and are cast aside. Britannia is that kind of nation, that kind of world."

"Survival of the fittest is the most basic rule of all." and CC words touched what a nerve with Lelouch. One that had been rubbed raw for eight years.

And it was that rule he hated the most.

"If That's True Then What Happens To Nunnally?!" he shouted. "Should I simply give up on my sister because she is frail? I refuse to accept that! I'll wipe out that sort of world myself."

Lelouch then finished collecting his soldier disguise, just before CC Pulled out a side arm and Pointed it strait at his heart. "You can't go, Lelouch. You need to fulfill your part of our bargain so I won't have you dying before that."

The gun she had pulled out was the one Lelouch had recovered when he stripped the uniform off a soldier's fresh corps. He'd hidden it in his room, just in case he'd lost the one that knightmare pilot had given him. He'd need to find a better hiding place for it later.

"Notice that what you're saying and what you're doing are contradictory." Lelouch said.

CC just sighed "Oh, I won't kill you; I'm merely going to shoot you in the leg to quiet you down."

A small smile then graced Lelouch's face, something that had been bugging about her finally made sense. "Now I get it; you're unable to use Geass yourself, aren't you? I'm not surprised, I suspected as much. You obviously wouldn't have asked me to do it if you could've done it yourself." He then Pulled out a gun of his own and pointed it at C.C.

"Do you honestly think you can threaten me with a gun?"

Lelouch continued to smirk. "Yes I do." the student then pointed the gun to his head. "Until I met you, I was dead. An impotent corpse existing behind a false guise of life. A life in which I did nothing real. Day to day, I merely went through the motions of living as if I were a zombie. And I always had the feeling that I was gradually dying. If I'm condemned to go back to that, then I'd rather..." his grip started to tighten.

"Stop it! I see now; it's life without meaning, and a life like that..." CC then finally gave in, and stepped aside.

Once Lelouch was out of his room and five steps down the hall he finally started breathing again. Bluffing was not a habit the schoolboy regularly indulged in. He meant everything that he said to the green haired girl, but dying was the last thing he was willing to do.

* * *

Phillips sighed in resignation. "If you're right, then the whole situation screams trap. You know that right?"

"I do, but this is a trap meant for zero. It would be best to make sure he's the last thing it shuts on."

"You make it sound like he's and idiot or something, just a few minutes ago you were calling him a genius. Sure he's young, physically challenged, has a love of theatrical... Your right better safe than sorry, but the target designator stays. The wombat and tiger drones are not ready to perform in any combat runs."

The Spartan didn't utter a single complaint as he took the pistol shaped camera from it's hiding spot under his coat. Yet he had a hard time putting it down. Without an artillery battery or a active bomber wing, this piece of equipment was pretty much useless.

Except when it came to the F99 wombat, and the Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle and Perceptor Integration System, code named, Tiger. Both unmanned weapon systems could have their targeting sensors slaved to the target designator. To quote a colorfull officer, where's an air strike when you need one?

* * *

General Andreas Darlton was a model soldier: loyal to his commander, dedicated in his service to the mission, and at his core, different from his fellow officers. Unlike most Britannians general Darlton maintained a moral fiber that his countrymen had all but abandoned, and right now it was starting to tear him apart from the inside out.

The general never questioned his princess, he may disagree but never question. Right now Cornelia's decision to wipe out the Yamato alliance by destroying the Sitama ghetto the same way her brother Clovis had with Shinjuku, wasn't sitting right with him.

Then came the call from the infantry, the first objective had been cleared. "We're done sweeping away those in charge." He said.

This was it, the last chance to call it off. The full weight of the hammer, known as Britannian military, was about to drop on the ghetto with lethal force.

The princess smiled... "It's nearly time to set our plans in motion. So shall we begin?"

There was no sigh, no groan, no external signs of the general's displeasure at the fresh blood he was putting on his hands. He was a soldier, a good soldier, an honorable soldier, he would follow her orders to the letter. "Right, attention all forces, commence the eradication of the Saitama ghetto. All forces assume level one battle stations." There will be blood on his hands but it wouldn't be for nothing. There was a plan and a purpose to this mission and he would see it through.

All at once, knightmare frames began pouring out of their hiding spots and clandestine transports around the ghetto. Then in an almost literal repeat of Shinjuku, began gunning down anything, and any one, that moved. All around the ghetto people could be heard crying out: in terror as the giant machines tore through everything in their path, for mercy before being gunned down without a second thought, or anger and fury

* * *

Behind the G1 base, at the lines farthest from the fighting, the former margrave sat in his Sutherland, flanked by the now former members of the now and forever defunct pure blood faction.

"I don't understand," he said as the battles explosions sounded like cheap fire works from their position "why won't princess Cornelia order us to attack as well?"

Lord, now private, Kewell answered him for the umpteenth time. "She won't because orange is here. Just be thankful you haven't been disposed of. You're to blame for this. It's because of you our careers are over!"

"Your wrong, Zero's the one who did it."

"That again. ha!" really it no longer mattered to Kewell or the others if he did or did not any more.

Everyone had begun noticing more and more abstract behavior from the former margrave. He'd snap at anyone that would mention or even eat an orange in front of him. He'd taken to looking over his shoulder while on the base when no one was there. The worst was when he'd barged in on a private conversation when he heard one man merely say the word zero.

Jeremiah's sanity was in a tale spin.

* * *

After leaving the school, Lelouch used his influence on a Taxi driver, only to conceal his identity from the driver, once he had changed into his military disguise and arrived at his destination he paid the fare and left a good tip for the honorary Britannia. After that it was only a matter of using his power to make the soldiers in the encirclement line ignore him and then join the main infantry as they entered the ghetto. Then slip away as they started to split off into teams.

Eventually Lelouch found a abandoned building he could temporarily hideout in and watch the slaughter from. When he looked back on that day, some months later, he came to realize that there were emotions he should've been feeling at that time. Anger that his older half sister would go to such extremes in order to draw him out, sadness at the death and distraction that was being repeated here, but instead it was excitement. Viceroy Cornelia had placed herself out in the open just like Clovis had, a silver platter with her head resting nicely on it, the name of his mother's killer, possibly, on her lips.

Her side of the board was now set up, he just need to collect the pieces so he could do the same before he could really get this game rolling. As Lelouch watched from his perch, the carnage continued to unfold, a passing Sutherland then spotted him and approached.

"What unit are you from? State your name and ID soldier." The pilot immediately demanded.

This was too perfect.

"Private Dario Torres sir,"Lelouch said as he recited his story he had rehearsed to convince the pilot to come out." with third reconnaissance company. I obtained this item from one of the terrorists. Could I please ask you to transmit it to headquarters for me sir?" he held up a blank computer disk for the pilot to see.

"A disk huh? I still need to verify your ID first." and just like that the knightmare pilot exposed himself to get a better look.

"Right, understood." Lelouch then started to smile as the sigil in his left eye appeared before giving his order."But before we do that sir... I'd like to borrow your Sutherland. So hand it over."

"Sure, no problem. Just take good care of it." He said like he was handing over his car to a old friend.

"Thank you I really appreciate it." Lelouch couldn't help but keep smiling as the pilot dismounted to hand over his ignition key. This was too easy.

* * *

In the tunnels at the edge of the ghetto, under the G1 base, Noble Six emptied another can of C7 foaming explosive.

He'd arrived too late to prevent the majority of the killing. Any Japanese still alive in the ghetto now were in the local terrorist chapter, the Yamato alliance. Fighting to stay alive.

"I'm starting to think you should get out of there." Phillips said as Six brought out a fresh can and moved to a different section of wall. "There's no one left to give aid to. Well, no one that won't try to shoot you first."

"You're right, but not before I leave a little surprise for the new viceroy."

Noble Six then finished placing the last dollop of foam before inserting the detonator.

Since his arrival in Saitama Noble Six had been lining the ceiling and walls of every subway and sewer tunnel with the explosive substance. An action Phillips didn't quite get.

"What exactly are you..." The AI's proverbial eyes widened as six picked up a large silver dish. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"Nice isn't it? The label on the container called it a build your own shaped charge kit.

"The Pyro Geiser are you crazy! that has not been field tested yet!"

"And will never get a better chance than this."

Ever since blue team's mission on Sigma Octanus IV UNSC engineers and military commanders have been trying to find a way to create a high-level explosion within a localized area. As great as tactical nuclear explosion was, high command wanted to scale down the collateral damage. So far the Pyro Geiser was looking to be the best possible solution, the lab reports were promising. It made use of an unintentional design quirk in the C7 despencer.

When the first C7 complete demo kits rolled off the shelves it had three distinct features: the main caster which housed the foaming explosive itself, a recessed dispenser in its base holding a series of detonators that could be removed by hand or directly inserted into the foam, and a small handle attached to the nozzle which doubled as the trigger for the detonators. One thing a lot of the demo teams did after placing the foam and arming the detonators was removed the handle from the canister. However the trigger was not meant to be removed, and every time the handle was pried off the seal contain the compressed form was compromised. Not enough for the contents to escape mind you, just enough so that if you dropped it whatever was left inside the canister would come spilling out in great quantities and at high-speed. A fact a low-level private discovered after mishandling one of the canisters during basic training, he would later be given the callsign frosty due to the fact that the whole incident had given him the appearance of a snowman. Despite what many called a obvious design flaw, was quickly labeled a new function. With the ability to immediately empty its contents at a moments notice the C7 compound became infamous as a weapon that could be used in both small and large-scale demolition and new ways to maximize this potential were quickly explored.

Enter the Pyro Geiser a collapsible metal housing for a extremely large shaped charge that is just the few inches short of becoming the new record holder. It's designed to be assembled under, over, or near a prospective target when the risk of collateral damage was too high or unacceptable.

"Alright, just make sure to make it count."

"I'm directly under the Britannian's mobile base." Six said. "Once I'm clear of the blast zone the tunnels will blow and that rolling fortress will be sitting on the big-"

The spartan was interrupted as his communicator let out an alert of a voice recognition. Six immediately stopped and tuned into the terrorist's communication network. Then he heard a familiar voice speak three words.

"This... is Zero."

Six could feel the bottom of his stomach drop. "I assume you've all heard about the Shinjuku incident. Do what I say and you will be saved." Zero said before Six muted the link.

"Okay You were right, he did show up." Phillips said as noble six began picking up the pace of arming all the C7 charges he'd placed.

As the Spartan worked he watched as the friend or foe tags of the viceroys forces wink off one by one. Just like clockwork, in fact the Yamato alliance were moving even faster than the group back in Shinjuku. But if that was their doing or Zero's remains to be seen.

And for just one brief moment, Noble six started to think that maybe just maybe this kid could handle it. Right before the Spartan took his right hand, held up next to his head, and slapped some sense into himself. He looking at the file Phillips had compiled about the second princess. She was nowhere near this stupid, this battle, those soldiers that were dying out there, this was all one giant bait ball and Zero is digging into it like a starved shark. It was going to go sideways, it was too obvious not to. Six knew that he need to be there to throw that monkey wrench into Cornelia's plan at just the right moment.

"Okay what's wrong?" Phillips asked as another can of C7 foaming explosive was hooked into the pyro geiser. "the battles been going on overhead for over an hour and all you've done is just fill that untested fire cracker with foam."

"the point of this whole battle is to trap zero going up above at this stage is pointless and if zero manages to pull off a win than everything I've done up to this point will have been a major waste of explosives."

"But you know that won't be the case do you six. but that doesn't explain why you're using so much of the C7. I mean you've already put in six cans... and are you pulling out a seventh?"

"The tunnel networks under Saitama are not as cavernous or extensive as Shinjuku so in order to-" Noble six came to a sudden stop. the Spartan's eyes had traveled to his motion tracker, after a silent curse six spun around 180 degrees and pulled out his M6 magnum with his free hand. Somehow during his work he'd all but forgotten about it, a rookie mistake! The second he had locked eyes on it, it had registered a single moving unknown assailant behind him.

His gun was up, round chambered, hammer cocked, and his sights lined up with... nothing. the space behind him had been empty, until the Spartan took a tentative look down. it was a eight-year-old child, maybe younger given the boy's low height, with a stuffed animal held very tightly in his arms. Six's actions had startled the kid.

Slowly and calmly putting the pistol back on it's mag plate, the Spartan asked the kid four simple words. "where are your parents?"

Immediately the young one turned on his heel and took off running like a spooked jackrabbit.

"Six you idiot, you haven't reset the audio settings on your armor since your first meeting with Zero! You sound like the Grim Reaper and with that long coat on you practically look like him too."

"I'll fix it but that's more irrelevant at this point since there's a kid down here! That means there could be others, more civilian survivors or soldiers that might've chased this kid down here."

After a few seemingly random turns the kid slipped through a large crack in the wall. On the other side Six's motion tracker registered at least half a dozen other points of movement trying to fit through the crack was definitely not an option but the Spartans refused to be stopped, sticking one hand into the crevice he began to pull. At first nothing was happening then the stone and rebar began to groan then scream in protest as a Spartan sized opening was made.

What he found on the other side of the wall shocked him. It was a small basement that had been converted into a dugout bunker filled with over two dozen people: men, women, and children each one a noncombatant. They all backed away from the hole in the wall that Noble Six had made, unsure of his intentions. luckily none of them made for the exit, knowing full well what awaited them up there.

Eventually a man was brought before the Spartan. His arm and chest were heavily bandaged with large patches of red. he was being supported by another kid in his late teens, probably one of the resistance fighters that been injured during the beginning of the purge. It seemed that they elected him the leader of the group. "Who or what are you, and what do you want?" he said showing no fear of death or pain

Six double checked the voice settings of his helmet once he was sure the audio filter was shut off before he calmly answered in a normal voice. "I'm with zero and I'm here to help go straight down that tunnel until you reach a T intersection take a right and continue forward for half an hour and you will be clear of the ghetto and the encirclement line. Its unguarded because the brits think those tunnels are collapsed, you will be safe."

The injured man would have fallen over in shock if the teen wasn't supporting him. "How can we be sure you're telling the truth?" He asked.

Noble Six's helmet hid his look of disbelief. "I just pulled a half ton chunk out of the wall with my bare hands. If I was working with the Britannians I wouldn't be talking."

"...Fair enough." the injured man said before waving the others on through the makeshift opening.

everyone seemed to want the other to be the first to go through. However once the first family had walked out and nothing happened, the flood gates were opened. As the last family departed, whatever form of luck that had protected the hiding place up till now ran out.

"Well, what have we here? A barrel of monkeys?" A Britannian soldier said as he opened the door that divided the hidden bunker from its basement entrance.

"Try tomb for Britannians." Was all the soldier heard before the Spartans hands clapped together on his head. Ending with the same sound and mess you'd find when crushing a watermelon, wrapped in tinfoil, between a pair of cinderblocks.

As the dead soldier fell back into the other room one of the others quickly grabbed the door and slammed it shut shouting. "It's him! It's the demon!"

The door was little more than a cheap aluminum panel, the Spartan could easily rip it apart to get to the soldiers on the other side. Nor did it stop the soldiers from emptying their clips into the door in a attempt to slow him down. Of course the bullets bounced harmlessly off of his shield, but once they stopped firing one of the soldiers pushed the front end of a short tube through the door.

"Fire in the hole!" Was all the warning six got as the soldier fired his grenade launcher right into the Spartans chest plate.

There was a bright flash accompanied by an earsplitting bang as the cybernetic super soldier was thrown off his feet. The next thing he knew he was on his back, out of breath, with the warning of the depleted shields blaring in his ear. "And I thought only a brute chieftain could hit that hard."

But as much as noble six would've like to lie there a little bit longer to catch his breath, but thanks to that grenade, the dirt ceiling had developed a very large crack in it. Plus a chunk of earth the size of a basketball crashing next to his head was all the incentive he needed to get back into the sewer system before he was buried alive.

* * *

For Lelouch, things were rolling along like clockwork. He told the Saitama terrorists where to shoot, a knightmare would fall. Warn them of a troop deployment, a platoon of knightmares were captured. it was working so well that Lelouch was caught off guard, after destroying the bridge that held 90% of his half sister's reserve forces, when an all points command hit the battle net.

"All forces! Fall back behind ghetto perimeter at once. Your position doesn't matter, fall back behind the ghetto perimeter at once."

"What, no stomach for it?" He said out loud despite the fact no one could hear him. Then he realized this presented him a perfect opportunity. "If I blend in with the retreating units that'll put me right next to Cornelia. Have I cleared the task at hand already?"

While brushing off any stray dirt Noble six watched the reteating knightmare formations by their IFF tags through his HUD with a pirated signal.

* * *

"Zeros been beaten." He said as the last knightmare crossed the encirclement line.

"Really? so soon? how do you know?"

"This is supposed to be a repeat of Shinjuku." The spartan said as he picked up the lid to the mother of all shaped charges. "only an idiot would actually repeat everything without it being a trap. This is the first deviation, so I say again, Zeros been beaten. he just doesn't know it yet."

"Okay so what are you going to do about it?" Phillips asked "because we've both realized we need him. he has resources, information, and above all the ability to lead; something we lack, greatly."

"That may be true," Noble Six walked over to the bombs collapsible base. "but I am not going to just hand over my services that easily. I'll bail him out but I'm going to peel away that mask and find out who and just what his plan is."

Six then slammed the lid down on the base, locking it into place while simultaniously releasing the foam from the seven canisters he had installed. As the foam expanded the bomb's Metal casing begin to shift and slide as the shell expanded to contain the ever-expanding C7 until it reached it's maximum size.

It was an impressive site, it's compact form was the size of a small trashcan, when fully expanded the Pyro Geiser was a head taller than the Spartan and twice the length of his arms around it center. Six would make sure that Phillips would make a recording of the detonation with their eye in the sky, because there was no way he was going to miss this thing going off.

* * *

Back at Ashford Suzaku was talking with Shirley. When he had first arrived at the clubhouse to help put together arthur's new play area. He arrived just in time to watch the maroon redhead burst out of the room shouting there's nothing going on between me and Lelouch! Venturing a look into the room he saw Shirley standing alone on the verge of tears. Suzaku's own mind swam with a few ideas of what his old friend could've done to cause such duress between these two teenage girls, but knowing the student council vice president it was probably something he was indirectly responsible for.

After a change of topic, accompanied by a nip at the young man's heels by Arthur, the two teens began getting to know each other while the worked. It started with Shirley telling the story of how her family moved out to area 11 when her father's work brought them here. And eventually moved on to the details behind Suzaku's friendship with Lelouch.

"So Lulu lived here before this became area eleven. Was he a neighbor?" Shirley asked as she tried to taunt the feline with the cat wand Suzaku had brought a a peace offering.

Arthur took a few swipes at its bristled tip, but then got this look that said what am I doing before turning around to take a nap.

As for Shirley's question, that had hit upon a rather confidential topic, one that Suzaku knew he needed to change quick. "Um, what about your self?"

"My self? I guess we're a lot a like in that respect."

"Oh?" This young, athletic, outgoing, and attractive, girl has something in common with a cool, distant, and calculating boy that could be mistaken for an ice King. There had to be a story behind this, and Suzaku was quite eager to hear it.

"Honestly, I didn't like Lulu at the beginning when I first met him. He gave the impression that he was flippant, and the only thing he worked hard at was avoiding hard work. But back when we were both freshmen, I happened to see him come upon a traffic accident. A driver rear-ended another car and was clearly at fault, but he tried to blame it on the elderly owners of the other car. Nobody tried to help them. And then... He quietly hooked a tow-truck to the back of the offending guy's car. Then when the light turned green the jerks vehicle was carried away. Lulu didn't do it so he could boast to his buddies or laugh about it later. He did it with the same bored expression he always wears. That's when I wondered, what's up with this guy? What goes on in his mind? What does he want to do? I really wanted to know, and in the process of finding out..."

"You fell in love with him." Now it all made perfect sense to him. She had a chance to see past the smoke, mirrors, and masks that the vice president wore so well. Suzaku sometimes wondered if his old friend had forgotten how to be himself. Regardless she was aware of the real Lelouch, and the idea that a girl was finally interested in his Best friend for who he really is made him happy.

Although, judging by the girl's suddenly reddening complexion, she had yet to reveal these feelings to Lelouch. Suzaku decided to throw caution to the wind, and give this potential pairing a little push. As he picked up the decorative phone on the table.

* * *

From his hiding place in the crowed of Sutherlands Lelouch was smiling like the battle was already over. He had been right, by joining the other retreating knightmares he had placed himself right in front of the G1 mobile base, right where he wanted to be.

"Cornelia your no match you'll lose."

However this was a withdrawal from the field not a retreat. Cornelia was too proud to give up like that, she had more skill in combat than Clovis.

"Even with my geass the normal security makes it too risky to just simply stroll in. I guess I'll just have to make an opening as I did with Clovis." he then noticed he had an incoming call on his cell. "Student council room? But I thought the cat festival meeting was scheduled for tomorrow."

One of Milly's costume parties. Something he'd regret later he was sure, especially after seeing the list of costumes the Prez had picked out for the counsel. But if the call wasn't for that then what?

* * *

Just because Shirley knew about Lelouch's softer side didn't tell her what kind of girl he liked. Plus considering the fact that the girl he spent the most time with was his sister didn't help in the least. "I know Kallen said I had it all wrong but it seemed like she was getting upset in order to fool me." She said as she tried to clear up the confusion her talk with Said girl had stirred up. Because no matter what, the dark-redhead wouldn't give her a straight answer.

"Which is why in this case it's best to simply ask him directly. On your behalf I can ask him about how he feels about you."

"What? You'd really do That!" Shirley had actually been a little distracted by Arthur, before she realized Suzaku already had gone ahead and called Lelouch.

"Just relax it'll be fine."

"Are you nuts! no way!" she screamed as she grabbed the phone out of the boy's hands and slammed it back down on the receiver in one fluid motion.

* * *

The alert on Lelouch's phone winked out, meaning the caller had hung up before he could answer it. "Hm? Oh what ever." he's said as he slipped back into he's zero persona.

Looking back to the troop formations, three purple Gloucester knightmares re-entered the ghetto. To Zero it couldn't be a better turn of events. "You're desperate Cornelia. For using your royal guard in such a manor."

With the viceroy's personal guard now on the field, this was a perfect opportunity for Lelouch to remove two obstacles that would be very troublesome later on."This is Zero. N1 will reengage their IFF signal. Operate as a Britannian unit."

"Under stood." N1 responded.

Once the princesses personal guard move in to assist. Lelouch would use his Zero persona to direct the other nearby units to encircle and attack.

The main screen in Lelouch's Sutherland displayed the locations for each knightmare on the field. The three Gloucesters closed in on the lone unit, and then suddenly the decoy blinked off the screen, replaced with the word lost.

"No conformation?"

* * *

Phillips gave a light whistle, "Clear the field of b-Listers used to draw out the c-class then send in the a-team. Nice."

"I said it. Only an idiot would think he could pull off the same trick twice." Nobel Six said as he sprayed some c7 foam along the cracks of the sewers under the Britannian's mobile base.

"So which Sutherland do you think zero is hiding in?"

"Don't know, but once the fireworks start we just watch for the first pilot to ditch and run."

Six then activated his Assisted Tactical Assault System, or ATLAS for short, and watched as the Britannians tore through the last of the terrorists.

* * *

To Lelouch's regret the rest of the battle was much the same. Any feint or decoy he setup was quickly seen through. Soon even the terrorists began to surrender, thinking maybe the Britannians might be merciful. However they did not realize the scope of Cornelia's wrath and were immediately gunned down on her orders.

Despite his resounding losses, Lelouch continued to give orders.

"Anyone who's left report in from the P group now!" nothing but static was the response.

Then he heard it, the all clear signal, it was already too late.

"Mission complete all forces take position number four."

The boy was beside himself, "Beaten this easily... But that's not how this game is supposed to go! This... This is what real organization can do..."

Like a boy too acustomed to winning. defeat was not something that Lelouch could easily accept, despite the fact it was staring him in the face. The flimsy terrorists were crushed by the Britannian war machine.

"Attention all knightmare pilots. Open your hatchs and reveal your faces." the second princess commanded. Forcing Lelouch to realize just how far he'd backed himself into a corner.

"Cornelia!" the fallen prince shouted, as it was the only thing he could do now.

"I repeat. All pilots open your hatches and reveal your faces."

"What do I do? If she gets me in a lineup... Without my mask my identity will be exposed. That musn't happen. Use my geass? No, impossible, it won't work unless I look directly at them. The enemy is protected in their knightmares. That leaves the infantry and other pilots... No forget it, there's too many of them." the more he tried to think of a way out, the more the fact sunk in that he was trapped, and the more frantically the boy tried to find a way out.

"Open your hatch. It's your turn."

Those words brought Lelouch back to reality like a splash of ice water. Guilford's Gloucester was right in front of him. He was out of time, back to the wall. No way out.

"What's wrong? Hurry and open your hatch."

"My hatch was damaged earlier in battle." it was the only thing that came to his mind that would make any sense. It was a desperate play to buy time, with little success.

"I see, then we'll open it for you. Turn around."

"Yes under stood. At once sir."

Now it would be the time to do something bold and stupid.

"Zero's been sighted!" Another soldier shouted over an open channel.

Then again maybe not.

The call had come in from a guard unit two blocks away and everything that was once in order for the inspection flew back into chaos.

* * *

In the sewers under the mobile base, Six was surprised by this shift in the military's attention. "Zeros been sighted? Where?" he asked.

"According to the footage portrayed over the battle net. On top of a partly destroyed building just a few hundred yards outside the Britannian's forward base. Out of range, but in plain sight."

"Show me." an image popped up in Six's HUD, despite the overwhelming evidence six caught on almost instantly. "That's not Zero."

"You can tell too?"

"The tells are small, but noticeable. The suit is lose around the waist and the shoulders are narrower. If I had to guess I' d say that's a girl. But that's besides the point, Zero's plan is FUBAR, and anyone not with Britannia is running like rats off a sinking ship.

Up above there was a mad scramble as every one of the brit soldiers moved to capture, kill, or just go after the zero impersonator.

And in the middle of all the chaos, no one notice a sutherland duck behind a wall of rubble.

By the time anyone would think to check, the pilot, and any chance of catching Zero was long gone.

* * *

Down in the sewers Lelouch was running like the devil was on his heals. While his head was ablaze with anger at this total failure.

'That's how Cornelia is, she's nothing at all like Clovis.' the boys thoughts and pace were halted as the fake zero appeared in his path. A list of people who could be under the mask crossed his mind, but only one knew enough to actually pull it off.

"Why did you rescue me?"

"I told you already," a female voice addressed him as the fake zero removed the mask. The long green hair tumbling out from under it's helmet design. "I can't have you dying."

Lelouch Lamperouge was seriously ticked. C.C. was rubbing his face in the fact that he failed. "I wouldn't have lost if the conditions were equal!"

"You sore loser." C.C. Said, somehow making the fact sting even more. "If you're really that good, you should be able to set up conditions the way you want."

"That's what I'll do then, I'll set them up. I'll raise an army that can't lose to Britannia. A people; a nation!" the anger at his loss continued to bubble within himself.

A deep, voice from behind him then spoke. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Lelouch felt his heart stop and his blood run colder then ice for just a moment, someone had found them out. He turned around to look at pair of crossed arms and up into a familiar helmet where he couldn't help but suspected a very cross looking person was staring down at him.

'I shouldn't be surprised about his age, but why does his face look so familiar?' noble six thought before pushing for answers. "I have a lot of questions. However, I figure this will be the fastest way to get some answers." six took out the giant kukri knife strapped to his shoulder. "Now spill your guts," he made several slashes at the boy's Kevlar jacket, a second later it fell to the ground in several pieces, "or I will spill them for you?"

C.C. Suddenly appeared between them. "Reclaimer no." she said as she reached out, as if to touch his helmet. Six pulled back just an inch, then drove the knife forward into her shoulder using the momentum to pin her to the wall.

"How The Hell You Know About That WORD!" However his question would go unanswered as the Spartan's sudden attack had left her unconsious. It wouldn't matter, Six had made sure not to hit anything vital, he'd pick up the interragation later. "Now," Six said as he looked Lelouch in the eye, "just exactly who are you, and what is it you're planing?"

The speed of his movements had removed any ideas of shooting his way out. If Lelouch even moved for his gun he'd be cut down in seconds. He was trapped again, and this time he knew there could be no escape, Unless.

"I am -" Lelouch was cut of by snap of six's fingers.

"Now I remember, Your Lelouch Lamperouge, you attend Ashford Academy with your little sister... Nunnally right?" Lelouch was white as a sheet and felt like he was about to have a brain anyurisum. "By your expression that means yes. You're vice president of the student council and a rabid gambler in the game of chess. Shall I continue?"

"How could you know about that?" Lelouch had never felt more exposed in all his life.

"The same way I found out about Kallen, I go to your school..."

Phillips then interrupted Six on his internal speakers. "Do you think you could take this conversation elsewhere? The mobil base is in the process of packing up."

Six switched to internal com. "Alright, give me a clean path back to Tokyo. We'll finish this there. Detonate the charges once we're clear."

"all nightmare frames have been loaded and accounted for. The G1 base is ready to depart at your discretion viceroy ."

"Very good, send word to the relief aid units now. Regardless of how efficient our troops are, there will still be survivors-"

Then with a great roar, the likes of which had never been heard before, everything was literally turns on its side. From under the mobile base a geyser of fire and destruction sprang forth cutting through the superstructure that held the fortress up right, and tossing aside whatever wasn't destroyed.

On the G1's bridge: crew, soldiers, royalty, everyone was tossed around like pebbles in a tumbler. When the dust finally settled the once great land carrier laid on its side, the nightmare hanger and the two support legs had been blown clear off.

"Report!" Cornelia shouted as she struggled to stay upright with a line of blood trailing down her face and stinging her eyes.

With little surprise all that answered her were various groans and moans and at least one my lady from Guilford.

Then the radio started clicking and buzzing with static as an unknown signal force it's way onto the comms. "Viceroy Cornelia Li Britannia. If you wanted some attention all you had to do was ask. So please remember this, if you ever do this again I will personally show you the same hospitality that was visited upon Clovis. But unlike him who only suffered a simple bullet to the head, yours will not be nearly so merciful or quick."

the soldiers that didn't get the sense knocked out of them, immediately started cursing Zero's name and adding any other obscenities they could think of. But not Cornelia, this move was not made by Zero. Zero was flashy, egocentric, and strategic. This was a tactically direct strike and she knew it.

* * *

**Merry Christmas everybody! Although technically by the time this will be up those that will read it are in totally different hemisphere.**

**As for those who might have any questions about my inactivity over the last couple of months, I would just like to say that the holiday season can be stressful and time-consuming. So anybody that has concerns don't worry I am not stopping my work just yet.**

**One final note, I am considering taking on a beta reader. Even though I'm not really sure how that is supposed to work. Either way if I can get one they will be going over the next chapter.**


	9. Turn 8 (extended)

Turn 8 Teaser

To be honest I wanted to join the Japanese liberation front the second I heard about it. Not because they were the largest group of resistance fighters in area eleven, or the vast amount of resources they had at their disposal. Practically every member was a soldier of the, former, nations military. An entire army ready, trained, and equipped for any major offensive. Then came the hotel jacking, and the bubble burst.

Excerpt from the personal log of Noble six.

* * *

"So... "Noble Six said as he sat Lelouch down on a beat up and rusted folding chair, in front of a worn-out card table, of a rubble strewn room, in a dilapidated building deep in the Shinjuku ghetto. "I'm going to start asking you some questions, and please, don't lie to me." Six then picked up a 3 foot thick block of concrete and dropped it on the other side of the card table. "I have very little reason to be nice here." He said before sitting down.

Lelouch said nothing, he just stared at the Spartan. In order to get to Shinjuku from Saitama as fast as possible Noble Six had picked up both him and CC and carried them over his shoulders. Right now she was laying on a somewhat ratty futon behind him, still unconscious. But that wasn't important right now, because the trip had given him plenty of time to think on the way over. The things that this Spartan had said, what he seemed to know had thrown Lelouch for a loop, but he was not gonna let that happen a second time. "Alright where do you want me to start."

* * *

"Was it okay that I tagged along on this trip?" Suzaku asked, felling a little out of place. He had been quite resistant to the idea of going on this trip to the most expensive five-star hotel at Lake Kawaguchi. However once Lelouch asked, or more accurately told everyone the honorary Britannian would be joining them, he had reluctantly agreed. Also the fact that the vice president had already been roped into going along on this trip had been the real deciding factor.

Of course the only way Milly had been able to swing the deal that got all of them reservations in said hotel was to get the whole thing marked as a extended overnight field trip in the school budget. A field trip for the student council to personally observe the international meeting set up to discuss the distribution of sakuradite.

And while Suzaku was a little uncomfortable with being on this trip, Rivalz and Lelouch didn't want him anywhere else.

"Are you kidding? Your the main attraction."

"Rivalz is right. Everyone's using you as an excuse to have fun." Lelouch said as he himself was finally starting to relax.

"Thanks, but if the military needs me, I'll need to leave early."

'Return, so the military is what you consider home now?' That is what Lelouch wanted to ask, but the Spartan's voice suddenly buzzing in his ear kept him silent.

"1100 hours, have acquired vehicle and currently proceeding to the meeting area. How are things on the field trip?"

The small device in the VP's ear was a micro transmitter provided by Noble Six, courtesy of the UNSC's pet spy division, ONI.

Lelouch ignored the Spartan's report, the last part of it. Every time he called to report in Noble Six would end with that same dam question! What was this guy, his father? If he could reach it, Lelouch would have pulled the pin sized device from his ear and gone back to enjoying this time with his friends. but now he was reminded why he wished he had been else where when he first set foot on the train. He was supposed to be back in Tokyo, as Zero, introducing the Shinjuku street fighters to their new, mobile, hideout.

However Milly, in a rare case, had been able to trick him into going at the last minute. If only that brain could be harnessed, the possibilities were terrifying. Also, there had been a great deal of pushing from his new red metal shadow.

Not that this trip was all bad. What few realize when starting a double life is they start to lose connection with the world around them and the people in it. This trip was actually helping him to feel... normal. It was calming, even relaxing, soon before Lelouch even realized it, he'd fallen asleep.

* * *

Over in the girls section, the prez was siting back down after a quick trip to the power room. Things were starting to get a little dull for Milly. They'd polished off all the good snacks and the scenery out the window, while nice in its own right, hadn't really changed that much for the past hour. If there was one thing an Ashford couldn't stand, it was boredom. That meant it was time for Milly to break out here second favorite past time.

"Shirley. I just peeked into the guys' lounge and the seat next to Lelouch was open."

"Please stop that, president." Shirley knew Milly meant well but sometimes her teasing was too much.

"We'll call Suzaku and Rivalz over here. You want to be alone with him right?"

Nina stiffened at the thought of the council's newest member in such close proximity to herself. Milly placed a calming hand on her old friend's shoulder, the young genius was still adjusting to their newest member. This phobia of the eleven boy trailed back to an incident Nina had back in the ghettos of Shinjuku over a year ago, a trauma that might never fade away.

As for Shirley?

"Well I do but…" She was extremely unsure of herself as all the ways it could go bad raced through her mind. Until she though about Kallen, and that time she saw her with Lelouch from the window, and realized not doing something could be worse. "okay!" she said as she got up.

* * *

"Lulu can I join you?" Shirley said opening the door to the boys room then waited for the exaggerated 'no' she expected he might give, or the even more feared yes. Yet when there was no answer she finally opened her eyes to actually look at him. "he's sleeping!"

"He naps a lot lately." Rivalz Explained as Shirley took the empty seat. "Is he staying out late again?" she asked.

Rivalz just shrugged, "I'm not sure. He hasn't been asking me to drive him anywhere." Which was weird, his connection to the grapevine hadn't revealed any new players in the world of underground chess.

* * *

"This can't be right... can it?" Ohgi said as he and the other six members stood next to a giant purple and gold truck. Being there made them nervous because it wasn't an normal truck, it was a customized sixteen wheeler with a permanently connected trailer that had been remodeled into a living space. It was a transport used by high-society types when they wanted to rough it.

Of course it didn't help their nerves when a disembodied voice said. "Why, what were you expecting?"

"WHOAH!" Everyone jumped as the super soldier suddenly appeared right in their midst, like he had been there the whole time.

Kento Sugiyama's first response was to point his gun in Six's face.

"Put that toy away or I will take it from you."

The Spartan's size, presence, and overall killing intent were so overwhelming that Sugiyama almost pulled the trigger. Until Ohgi took the gun from his hands. "As I have already explained to everyone, don't shoot the very big, Very, dangerous super soldier. And you," he said turning to face the Spartan, "Don't Do That! And also, How Did You Do That?"

Noble Six held his hands up in defense with his best apologetic voice. "I'm sorry, I thought knowledge of my active camouflage had already been disclosed. As for how, I don't know. All they told me worth remembering was the time limit and that that there's a visible distortion when I move around."

The brief explanation of the active camo's flaws put the wannabe freedom fighter's minds at ease, while diverting away from the technology's origins.

"Anyway," Six said as he walked up to the truck's main door before opening it. "Feel free to explore."

Again, Kaname Ohgi was the first to step-up. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The door slid open, he took one look inside, and said two words "It's huge."

After that everyone, practically, rushed in. What they saw was the equivalent to a five star hotel room, Tamaki gave it the blunt, yet spot-on, definition of, "A mini mansion on wheels."

Yoshida went to look at the stares in the back of the trailer. "Get-out it's even got a second story."

"Three actually if you count the sky deck." Six Added.

"It's even got a TV." Minami started looking around the two couches. "Where's the remote?"

"Later," Ohgi was more interested in the fine print. "So where did this, car, come from?"

"Zero borrowed it from, and I quote, a rather libertine noblemen who... indulges, his requests."

"He asked for it! Just like that?"

"I was just as surprised when he handed me the keys. I'm willing to bet there's more to it than that, but sometimes the less people know, the better."

* * *

Even in his sleep the fallen prince's past haunted him.

Right now in his dream-scape it was eight years ago, he was walking through the doors and into the throne room. His father, the emperor, was sitting on his throne with that same stern face he seemed to have where ever he was.

Lelouch had made this appointment because it had become the only way he could talk to his father since Marian's death "Hail, Your Majesty. My mother, the Empress, is dead."

The emperor merely grumbled like he was watching a rerun. "Old news. What of it?"

"What of it?!" the young prince was shocked that his own father would treat this subject with such distance.

"You sought an audience with the Emperor of Britannia simply to inform me of that?" the emperor turned to his guard "Send the next one in, I've no time for these childish games."

Lelouch wasn't about to be turned away so easily as he ran up to his father until a pair of royal guards blocked his path. "Father! Why didn't you keep mother out of harm's way? You're the Emperor! The greatest man in this nation if not the world; you should've protected her and now you don't even visit Nunnally!"

The emperor, Charles Zi Britannia, the father of Lelouch and Nunnally, answered him with six words no one expected. "I've no use for that weakling."

Lelouch just stood in shock. "That weakling?" Why would his father say that?

"That is what it means to be royalty."

Finally Lelouch vi Britannia had enough, of his father, this treatment, the death race that the title of prince and princess had put him and Nunnally through. "Then I don't want to be your heir; I give up my claim to the throne!"

The crowd gasped, in the entire history of the empire no member of the royal family had ever done such a thing. Not over something like this. In fact most found it made the desire for the throne that much stronger.

But Lelouch vi Britannia was adamant about his decision. "I'm sick of the fighting and scheming over who will succeed you, father! I've had enough!"

Whatever the young prince expected his father to do or say never came. Instead his little temper tantrum earned him something far harsher. "You are dead. You've always been dead to me; dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the fine clothes you wear and comfortable home, the food you eat and your very life? All of those, I have given to you. In short, you are nothing to me because you have never existed! Yet you dare speak this foolishness to me?!"

He then got up from his throne and began walking towards the young boy. Until he towered over the child Lelouch.

As he approach Lelouch tried to back up and tripped on his cape, falling back.

the emperor, in the sternest tone, spoke. "Lelouch... You are dead, therefore you are not entitled to any rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan. As prince and princess you will serve well as bargaining tools."

It was then everything faded to white.

"Lelouch!"

The young man's eyes snapped open as he regained consciousness. All his cabin mates were looking at him with concerned expressions. Suzaku, Rivalz, and-

Shirley? She must of come in while he was asleep.

"Are you okay? You were moaning." She asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing. I just had a bad dream." he said in an effort to calm his friends.

"Lelouch, you don't feel well? Do you feel like throwing up?"

"I'm okay, really." he said while putting on a brave face.

He was used to it, every time Lelouch would find a moment that could help him be at peace, the universe would find a new and creative way to remind him of that day. The day his old world came crashing down.

The rest of the trip was rather quiet, not that Shirley would complain. Just before Lelouch had woken up he had grabbed her hand. And he didn't let go until they pulled into the station.

* * *

The second Lelouch set foot into the hotel's lobby he wish the trip was already over. It wasn't because of the service they provided, which is tantamount to being waited on hand and foot. Nor was it the possibility of getting bored: there was a spa, in and outdoor pools, and a casino each one with their own designated floor. Plus with the hotel being out on the lake itself, it had its own dock where a small flotilla of yachts and other small watercraft were moored.

It was the very public spectacle that was taking place that set him on edge. Hundred of cameras all over the hotel watching and recording everything going on, there was no telling what footage would be tossed aside and forgotten or plastered on TV for millions to see all over the world. It would only take just one person to recognize him as the former Prince of Britannia and then it would be all over. To make matters worse, Nunnally, Alice, and Sayoko were due to arrive tomorrow morning.

The boy's mind was so consumed by these thoughts that he almost missed hearing his name being called out, again.

"Lelouch. Lelouch."

It was a familiar voice, calling him from some where…

There, behind one of the pillars lining the walls, he saw a girl wearing a white sun dress, yellow over shirt, and glasses. With long pink hair.

"Euphie!?"

The instant that Lelouch saw her she grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him into a different room. One he knew he shouldn't be in.

"The woman's bathroom! How embarrassing!" He said as he made sure there was no one else in there with him. This was the last place he wanted to be surprised right now. For all he knew Cornelia could be in here too.

"I'm sorry." Euphemia said apologizing for her sudden appearance, and corresponding actions. "I didn't want anyone listening to our conversation."

He probably already knew the answer but Lelouch asked anyway. "Why are you here?"

Euphemia had a long and colorful history of doing what she thought was the right thing, in most cases, at the wrong time. More than a few had landed herself and those involved in a large amount of trouble.

"Tomorrow is my inauguration." She said as the joy of seeing her brother again faded. "I was able to attend school even though it was for only three days, I even made a friend named Suzaku. Once my arrival is officially announced I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to see you again."

She just wanted to see the brother she believed lost for so many years before her status and his cover would separate them forever. Euphie was the most honest and kindhearted person Lelouch had ever known, save his little sister Nunnally, and considering the rest of his family that was saying a lot.

The, former, Prince took a deep breath gathering all the stress and troubles that had landed on his shoulders in the last 10 minutes.

"Did I cause you any trouble by coming?" She asked, as it looked like her brother's temper had reached a boiling point.

Lelouch dared to let a smile grace his face, an honest smile he rarely showed. "Sheesh, Euphie. You haven't changed." She'd already reached out to him, and a direct connection to the royal family could be useful later. "Since it's before your inauguration your name and face aren't known to the general yet public. Also, seeing as we haven't been disturbed by anyone since you pulled me in here, I can assume you've already given you're attendants the slip."

"Yes. They're up stairs guarding the suite."

This was a bold surprise for the former prince, if a noble felt the need to stray away from their guard, the smart ones, would at least make sure they were in ear shot at least. "Okay, that will more than likely last till mid-morning tomorrow-"

"Oh, I had my schedule set up for a late brunch."

"Then make that late morning to early afternoon. That will make Nunnally very happy."

Euphie's face lit up at the mention of the family's second long lost sibling. "Nunna is here too?!"

"Not yet, she will be here first thing tomorrow morning. She was disappointed when she discovered you had been at the school and didn't get to talk with you."

* * *

After everyone had familiarized themselves with the layout of their new transport Noble Six sat down on the only piece of furniture that could support the weight of his armor. A custom designed reclining chair, full leather exterior, arm rests with cup holders, and stuffed with enough padding that even the spartan felt like he was floating. It was a luxury that the super soldier was grateful for, and it annoyed the hell out of him.

'Just where the heck did he get this thing?' Six though just before he noticed everyone had gathered around him. Kallen and Ohgi at the front of the group.

"So, Britannian, you think joining up with us is a good idea?" Ohgi asked.

The Spartan let out an agitated sigh. "Its about time, I've been expecting one of you to ask a question like that some time ago."

"You want us to distrust you?"

"I want you to think, ask questions, be ready for anything. If you'd kept up this indifferent attitude towards my presence, I was planning to do something drastic and unpleasant. The less I say about it the better." The super soldier leaned forward, placing his elbows on the arm rests and the chin of his helmet on his knuckles. "I'm not in a situation where I have a lot of... options."

"Are we?" Kallen asked, "There are other groups out there that better organized, with funding, and other resources."

"I take it there is still something I have left to prove to you?" Six asked, taking time to look everyone in the eye and would see they were not going to back down.

"Yea, like where do you come from?" Tamaki said with his regular air of, unsupported, superiority.

Six turned to face the loud mouth. "I'm impressed. You actually thought of an intelligent question."

Tamaki felt pretty proud of that comment. "Yep."

Yet the Spartan couldn't help but burst that bubble. "It must have taken him all night to think of that one."

"Well actually... Hey!"

"Either way, I might as well explain my origin. So please, take a seat."

In an instant everyone had taken a seat on the two couches watching the Spartan with baited breath, waiting to hear what factory or dark ally this man machine had spawned from.

"At the age of four, I was taken in by a noblemen, along with several other children-"

Tamaki seemed to think this was a great time to speak his mind again. "Great, he's the adopted son some rich-"

"And experimented upon in order to create the ultimate weapon. Whenever We weren't in a class room having every form of combat, strategy, and tactic drilled into our heads or on a training field practicing every known fighting style until our bones would rattle and break. We were in a Laboratory being poked prodded, injected, and sliced open to find out how to make... Us... Better."

Six seemed to slow Down with these words, like the pain from the past was being felt by the present.

"I never found out who he was, what little I did hear about his allegiance has made me suspect he was a former supporter of the 97th emperor's regime. What, the nobleman that created us, wanted was to bring the destructive power of a knightmare frame to a infantry man's field." Six's tone began to grow deeper, darker. "Think of it, one soldier with the ability to take on an entire army and walk away without a scratch or breaking a sweat. Then picture ten of them, twenty, hundreds..."

Every one was silent as the horror of what an army of Spartans could do became clear in their minds. Tamaki was the only one to ask for more. "What happened to him?"

"The noble man? He was found out. He wanted power, so I was created to get it for him. Yet some how he was exposed before that, and dealt with by prince Clovis. The third prince must have seen potential in me or something, and to prove my loyalty... he had me kill anyone that knew of my existence."

"You said I when Clovis discovered you, but the story started with we. What happened to the others?"

The Spartan's voice grew solemn "Why do you think I'm called Noble Six? I was the only one in the program to make it far enough alive. The others are all dead, either from the experiments, or by me from the late viceroy's order, and now... I'm the last.

Everyone just stood there shocked. It was a known fact, those with power often wanted more. But the lengths this man had been put through, it was almost too much. Many soon turned to look away or try to think of some other topic to focus on. Noble Six secretly smiled under his helmet.

They bought his story.

Ohgi was the first to change the topic. "I wonder what's on the news?"

Noble Six handed him the TV remote, "Here, I figured it was best to let everyone get familiar with the layout of the new base before fooling around. Its got all one million channels."

"How are things looking at the scene."

* * *

Leaving the woman's lavatory was thankfully uneventful, and a quick explanation that she was a friend of Suzaku made Euphie's introduction to the student council all the more smother.

Once everyone had set their bags and personal items in their suites, it was time to draw straws to see who'd go shopping for snacks and meals. It was the hotel's only flaw, outside of room service, there was no food. With the school's funds for their trip only able to cover their rooms, this is where pooling their allowances would come in handy. By some random show of luck or fate, the two chosen for the expedition turned out to be Lelouch and Suzaku.

"Sheesh, Euphie is so spontaneous." Lelouch said as he struggled with his bag of groceries.

"I didn't know you were friends with her." It had come as quite a shock to Suzaku when he found out Euphie was actually the third princess, even bigger one came with. It was no surprise that just because the prince and princess's were all related, that few of them actually got along. Sure there were truces, fragile alliances, and under the table deals. But genuine friendships? Those were almost taboo.

"You either. When did you meet her?"

"I showed her around campus." Suzaku said, just as he noticed his friend giving him a leery expression. "I didn't know she was a princess at the time-" the look only intensified, "I didn't do anything!"

Despite giving his old friend the idea that he meant something inappropriate, Lelouch had been probing for something else. Not that he didn't want to know if there was something romantic going on between. Euphemia had been a very friendly girl since she was born, it had given more than a few boys the wrong idea. Which put them squarely in the elder sisters cross-hairs.

"Come on, let's hurry back. They're probably waiting!"

"Oh yeah."

However, once the two students reached the bridge they discovered a quickly growing crowd being held back by a military convoy blocking the path back to the hotel.

"Um, I'm a soldier. Did something happen?" Suzaku asked the first officer he could find.

"The Japan Liberation Front have taken all the guests hostage and shut themselves inside the hotel."

"Suzaku!" Lelouch said having heard everything.

"You evacuate! I'll go look for everyone!"

As Suzaku disappeared into the crowd of soldiers, Lelouch dropped the groceries and disappeared himself.

* * *

"What is this?" everyone turned their attention the the news broadcast Ohgi had turned on. HI-FI News channel's field reporter elaborated on the situation.

"I'm here in front of the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel. The hotel-jackers have identified themselves as the Japan Liberation Front. Members of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, most notably, chairman James, were taken hostage as well as several tourists and hotel employees. This footage was taken by the perpetrators; in it, you can clearly see chairman James, including some students."

Kallen immediately recognized the students in the footage. "From the student counsel."

"The leader of the group claims to be Lieutenant-Colonel Kusakabe of the now defunct Japanese military. Sakuradite, an essential component in the manufacture of high-temperature super conductors, is a vital strategic resource that directly affects world security. Area 11 is the largest producer of this material, providing 70% of the world's total supply. Here at the yearly national meeting of Sakuradite producers, it will be determined how this resource will be distributed among the world's nations. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome determines the balance of global power between Britannia and other countries. It is believed that the terrorists are using world interest in the annual gathering to their advantage by carrying out this violent hotel takeover."

Everyone was shocked int to silence by this sudden turn of events, which made the pin Noble Six was about to drop all the louder.

"Looks like Zero's mission has just gone FUBAR."

"Zero was attending the summit meeting?!"

"Why would he do that?"

"It was an attempt at making direct contact with the six houses of Kyoto, or at least one of the foreign power actively apposing Britannian." Once again all eyes were on Noble Six. "...International conferences and summit meetings attract spies for the same reason hotel bars attract hookers. You can do business and drink for free."

Tamaki tried not to laugh at the Spartan's analogy as he asked. "How is that supposed to help?"

"You'd be surprised the amount of leverage you could get from a spy on the job." Six said, speaking from some personal experience, on both sides of the situation. "They're playing a delicate game, like placing marbles on a Go board, and the last thing they want is someone coming in and smashing their delicate game with a brick. Only now it looks like the JLF went and upturned the whole table. Why do it now though, what's the point?"

"They're easily the biggest anti-Britannia force in Japan." Ohgi answered. "And their prides hurt."

"Because of us?"

"Maybe." Ohgi shrugged

"I don't know to feel happy or sad for them, because they're all gonna end up dead." Tamaki said, adding his own sting, before noticing a strange popping sound coming from the Spartan's hands.

The sound was a mix of metallic popping and stretching leather. it would be a long time before he would learn that it was the the sound of Noble Six's knuckles popping from squeezing his fists in anger.

And Six was very angry. In fact he was so angry that he was starting to see red in the corners of his eyes. There were so many things wrong with this situation he could keep it all strait. Wasted opportunities, lost resources, ruined plans, and for what? Hurt PRIDE?! This... This...

Failing to sense the palpable tension coming off the Spartan, Tamaki opened his big mouth once more. "Feeling sorry for your countrymen?"

Noble Six got up from his chair and walked over to Tamaki until he towered over him. Giving the man the feeling that if the Spartan took one more step forward he'd be crushed like a bug. "No, this is disappointment in yours." Six's hands were so tightly clenched that had he been holding a rock, he could've squeezed blood from it. But after a minute of staring down at this single, small, man the Spartan's grip eventually slacked. Noble Six had finally regain enough of his senses to realize that the one he wished to vent his frustrations on was not here.

Time to change that.

* * *

"Phillips, the convention center hotel on Lake Kawaguchi has been hijacked, why am I only hearing about this now? From the news." Six asked switching to internal communications. The response he got was a little unexpected.

"I'm on it! I'm on it." The AI replied back in a, slightly stressed tone. "I've got more on my plate than just you."

"That's not an excuse, but we don't have the time to debate what takes priority in your work. Just get me everything you can on the situation at the hotel. We're going in."

* * *

In all honesty Phillips was having a, really, off day. Since this morning, when all four of the stratellites reached their designated geosynchronous orbits over the three superpowers of the world, he'd been hit with a extended collection of raw data that had all but overwhelmed him.

In all honesty it was actually something he was neither programmed or prepared for. Jobs relating to urban infrastructure were normally handed by a superintendent, a variant classification of the dumb AI family. An at most each one was given one city to handle at a time.

Dumb AI are basically a genius ditz. Their skill sets run along the lines of a singular goal or task. Any information or objectives that do not align with that goal are ignored or forgotten because their programming lacks any ability to deal with it.

But it wasn't like Phillips was incapable of handling all this information, it was just gonna take him longer. To a digital entity like Phillips the rest of the world looks like its standing still. By the time Noble Six had contacted Phillips about the hijacking an hour later, he'd finished a crude organization of the ocean of information he'd jumped into. Allowing him to devote some of his attention to the situation at lake Kawaguchi. If he had a real head, Phillips would be banging it against a hard surface for letting that one slip past.

Thankfully this was all easily solved with a single element which was always found in both great quantities and never enough of, time. Practically every single artificial intelligence to date sees the world around them at a fraction of the pace of a regular human. Something that every smart AI seemed to take an, almost, perverse pleasure in.

In between the seconds on the clock he was able to collect all the information available to civilians, military, and criminal elements. All he needed to do now was organize it into a form that made sense to a casual observer. Like assembling a million piece puzzle, the situation began to take shape.

Accessing the hotel's security and financial records allowed Phillips to discover the JLF's point of access. Earlier the same morning several large catering trucks, bound for the hotel, were hijacked by the Japan liberation front. So instead of various ethnic and foreign cuisines the trucks ended up delivering five knightmare frames, 16 soldiers, and one very big machine of unknown design.

These weren't stolen or recovered Britannian mecha like the ones those smaller outfits like Noble Six's new friends in Shinjuku had. these were remodeled copies that had been revers engineered from the Glascos design of Britannia's original invasion of Japan, designated the Burai.

Sticking a pin in that, the smart AI Pulled back to get a better view, or more accurately end idea, of the terrain the Japan liberation front were using. The convention center hotel itself was a few structural modifications short of being a literal fortress. The building itself was over half a mile from the shoreline with only three bridges connecting it to the mainland, each one going in a separate cardinal direction from the hotel itself. The bridges themselves actually added to the building security by the fact that they were a series of drawbridges, at the moment the two longer ones were raised preventing any land-based vehicles from approaching, save the main bridge. While the military had provided an extensive blockade on the shoreline no attempts have been made to cross the bridge itself, the JLF had posted three of their knightmare frames to guard that entrance. One was equipped with a standard knightmare assault rifle, the other two were positioned halfway up the building with sniper-based artillery. Any attempts to storm that route would've been a slaughter. Which is where the attempts to enter through the water and air channels came in. However with the fourth knightmare frame acting as an anti-air battery and every aquatic entrance being guarded by two to three infantrymen, the building was sealed up tight.

Yet the Britannians remained undeterred, at the nearest military base there was still one heavy knightmare transport, loaded with four military Sutherlands and six police Glascos, fueled and waiting for orders to take off. So far it looked like the craft and its cargo were destined to meet the same fate as the previous failed attempts to enter, fly into the line of fire, be riddled with holes from heavy ordinance, then crash, burn, and drown in the enormous moat that surrounded thi impregnable fortress.

Except… there was one feature in the building's design that was left wide open. Being built over the lake the hotel's designer borrowed heavily from the blueprints of Venice by placing the structure on top of a series of pillars that were sunk into the lake bottom. However the main load-bearing column sunk down even farther where it connected with the city's utility tunnels, many of these tunnels varied in size according to their use however the one leading up to the hotel was wide enough for five lanes of traffic. And enough overhead clearance space to stack a pair of M312 heavy recovery vehicles, called elephants by marines, on top of each other. Plenty of room to roll a knightmare right on through, or five as Phillips picked out that same number of distinct Britannian IFF signals charging up the utility tunnel at top speed.

* * *

This was it, this is to be first step back for the triumphant return of Lord Jeremiah. All he had to do was travel down the utility tunnel to the hotel's main support column and destroy it. By destroying the pillar the supporting structure for the hotel's foundation would collapse and cause the lower half of the hotel's structure to sink into the lake. Allowing the main force to breach the hotel and rescue the hostages in the ensuing chaos.

Sure he wasn't the one put in charge of this mission, or leading the charge. But it was a desperately needed start. Certainly it was better than standing at the rear guard, he'd even been able to bring Villetta Nu in as his second. The former Margrave was not so cold as to hog all the glory to himself, with the inferior weapons of the JLF this crucial part of the mission would be a cakewalk.

"Contact ahead." The lead pilot said as the end of the service tunnel came into range.

Jeremiah had his machine raise its free hand, silently signaling for Villetta to slow down. Despite the overwhelming strategic and tactical advantages the knightmare gave them and the substandard equipment these terrorist factions were forced to utilize, it was not entirely uncommon for them to get a lucky hit on a charging Britannian. Plus if Jeremiah's recent losses in battle and status have taught him anything, it was not to underestimate his opponent.

The Japan liberation front had all the other entrances secured and guarded, the list of things that could be at the end of this tunnel waiting for them was short, but dangerous all the same. Better to let the raw recruits take the brunt of this obvious trap, while the two more seasoned veterans take to the more important task of destroying the main support column of the convention center hotel.

"The main utilities tunnel running directly beneath the convention center hotel. basically we'd go in through this rout, destroy the foundation block, and submerge the hotel. since the tunnel was also built to handle supply deliveries it should be able to accommodate Sutherland. even if the enemy has take precautions it should be no problem, they've been using substandard weaponry so we should have no problem evading them."

"Power surge, weapons launch detected!" The object was large and fast but the Britannian machines were easily able to identify and predict what was coming. A simple unguided missile, most likely equipped with a anti-armored vehicle payload. "One anti-knightmare missiles? Just like those monkeys to think that archaic weaponry will still work on us now. Spread out and evade."

Jeremiah was a little disappointed as the prospect of more glory to go around evaporated. Yet it was probably for the best, wishing that his teammates would die so he and Villetta could take all the credit was not a habit the former leader of the defunct pureblood faction wanted to encourage. Yet they had no sooner acknowledged the order, when the number of projectiles jumped from one, to over twenty-five.

"Missile number has suddenly increased!" Villetta shouted, but it was already too late. The three leading Sutherlands were instantly torn apart like tissue paper and a wood chipper, providing no real protection to Jeremiah and Villetta, just a few extra seconds.

"There's Too Many-"

Those three words were the last any of the command staff would hear from Jeremiah as his IFF signal dropped off the screen.

In his digital domain Phillips let out a light whistle, or the best equivalent a digital entity could make, as he began taking a better look at the weapon the JLF had stationed at the mouth of the utilities tunnel. At first glance it resembled a giant bug. In reality, someone had cannibalized a pair of Glasgow knightmare frames and molded them around a large prototype magnetic acceleration cannon to create a mobile artillery platform. It was an impressive design, if it wasn't for the fact that it still needed some work. Much of the internal systems that he could access had been jerryrigged, the cannon itself was a proof of concept prototype for a battleship that Britannia had scrapped the second they took over. The power necessary to run this machine was also too great for any standard Yggdrasil drive, in fact the entire machine was powered by a sakuradite generator a quarter of its size. In total, it was a haphazardly slapped together machine, but it got the job done.

* * *

The second this information reached the viceroy and her command staff, they almost couldn't believe it. There was very little that could take out a knightmare frame, other than another knightmare. "Wiped out! are you sure?" Darlton almost shouted. Five knightmare frames taken out in under a minute with one shot, surly that had to be a mistake.

"it looks like they've modified a Glasgow into a linear cannon."

That seemed to be the tipping point for everyone else in the room. The JLF's position had been confirmed secure, men whose constitutions were as solid as iron crumbled to dust as they began to consider the demands.

This sudden on set of cowardice made the Viceroy's stomach turn. "We can't show weakness to terrorist!" She shouted. There was no way she was going to yield to these cowards, even if she had to-

Then Guilford quietly reminded his princess why she was showing this restraint. "But princess Euphemia she's..."

"Yes I know." The second princess whispered back, this was a new situation for her. Until now Cornelia Li Britannia, the goddess of victory, never held back on any field of battle. This was the first time she had to show... restraint, to her enemies. She wasn't sure what to do, scream? cry? She was completely useless now, a failure as an older sister.

"Thus far none of them have discovered that fact. If they learn she is among the hostages they'll try to use her as a bargaining chip. She went there just to observe, so she's not registered with the other guests."

What little solace Cornelia took in the fact that this wasn't a direct attack on the royal family was fleeting. Because that news didn't help the lump that was growing in her gut from knowing that Euphy was well within the JLF's hands. But it galvanized her resolve, the JLF have the upper hand, for now.

* * *

From a small bank the ASEEC staff waited in standby, as usual. Their commander Lloyd Asplund had take a seat along the bank of the lake, his prized pilot Suzaku and the greatest assistant in the world Cecil Croomy stood behind him.

"Can't the special core offer any assistance with the rescue operation." Suzaku asked. He was desperate to help. This had all happened right in front of him and he had done nothing to prevent it.

"I've already asked them but we're a irregular unit and they don't acknowledge our chain of command." Lloyd said with his regular air of gloom that appears whenever he's denied the chance to show off his creations. "Besides..."

"It's too risky to entrust the operation to an eleven, is that right?" Suzaku said finishing Lloyd's sentence. The situation carried too high risk of classified military assets falling into enemy hands. A nice way of saying the eleven trash could turn on us.

"Yet I'm sure you're aware that princess Cornelia is very discriminating about Britannians and numbers."

Like a tick burrowing into his mind Suzaku remembered the Spartan's words. 'Tell me! how you're going to change a nation of cutthroat bigots and supremacists?' more and more his goal of change seemed to slip away. "So the Japanese still aren't being accepted enough into your structure."

"If that's true then what point would there be in even having a honorary Britannian system." Cecil said. It wasn't a question.

* * *

At the farthest edge of the crowed that had massed around the military's blockade of the hotel. Lelouch was trying to Make a call out, but this mass of people were taxing the cell towers with their own calls and Lelouch was starting to get frantic. Until the hand held device started vibrating on its own, only one number could do that and it belonged to the person who showed him the setting.

"So, how's the trip so far?" Six asked.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" he growled into the phone

"Answering a question like that won't help change the situation."

"You-" Lelouch was ready with an entire tirade about the Spartan withholding information, but the super soldier cut him off.

"Save your complaints, insults, and blame for when you can afford to get away with them. Now you know the situation, so what's the plan?"

"How soon can you and the others get to lake Kawaguchi? I need to get back in there."

"We're already half way there with-" Noble Six paused for a second as the last 7 word Lelouch said sunk in. "Wait, back in there? Where are you exactly?"

* * *

"First door at the top of the stairs has new boxes of supplies and equipment, I want everyone to be fully equipped and suited up before we arrive." Six said as he started typing information into his tacpad for Phillips to review. Ohgi, Minami, and Yoshida acknowledged his instructions with a nod before walking past, giving the spartan as wide a birth as possible in the vehicle's confined space.

The super soldier mentally kicked himself, whatever gaps he had bridged only moments ago were once again wide open. After nearly venting his frustration on Tamaki's head everyone was reminded that he was with them, but he wasn't one of them.

It didn't bother the super soldier too much. His focus was needed for the mission at hand, however doing so was putting a growing knot in his stomach. Deciding it was time to find something to occupy his idle hands, Six walked over to a pair of cabinets that were placed next to the big screen TV. Inside were a collection of items the Spartan had personally made sure were fully stocked and in working order. Opening up the safety glass of the display window, Six, reached in and pulled out a, Britannian, standard issue military pistol. Nothing got a Spartan's mind off their troubles like stripping down a firearm, cleaning it, then putting it back together.

Which also made this somewhat of a necessary learning experience, even though he had a generous supply of ammunition from the UNSC it was still a finite amount. At some point in the future he'd need to learn how to acquire, maintain, and use the various tools of war this world had to offer.

Taking his seat once more the Spartan unfolded a desktop that was built into the chair's arm which included a magnetic plate so that items wouldn't shift while the vehicle was in motion. Honestly Noble six didn't know whether to kill the kid or praise him for including such a useful, luxury, item.

In the blink of an eye noble six had the side-arm in pieces on the tray. The first time he had taken one apart six had almost mistaken it for a toy, after he had inadvertently crushed several of the more delicate internal components. That same outcome had been repeated three more times before the Spartan finally understood how the weapon's internal components needed to be handled. After he had inspected and roughly cataloged each individual part Noble Six had given his assessment of the weapon's design: primary observation, this weapon was a marvel of modern engineering. Not even DARPA had made a working model of a hand held rail gun, especially at this stage of human development. Secondly, it was a piece of junk. Sure this thing could kill, but the muzzle velocity was just barely able to clear the minimal range for lethal effectiveness.

"Spartan… Noble Six, what will happen to the hostages?" Kallen asked.

The gun barrel slipped from Six's fingers and rolled four feet across the floor to the girls feet. Kallen quickly picked up the metal tube and placed it in Six's out stretched hand. He slipped the previously misplaced part into place before reattaching the pistol's outer casing. "If the situation remains on it's current course..." the spartan turned the small weapon over in his hand for inspection before looking up at the news feed. Thinking about this had brought a phantom itch to Noble Six's back, from an injury he'd all but forgotten about. "At the very best more than half the hostages will get killed, at the very least-"

Kallen then looked back to the tv. On the screen a man with chocolate brown hair in his late forties was talking to a reporter, asking about his daughter, Shirley. He was the leading expert in cybernetic prosthesis, but she didn't see why that would suddenly silence him.

In truth Six had not been silent at all, he just switched over to internal communications. "Phillips, what is the current status of the Britannian forces posted outside the hotel?"

"About time you caught on," Phillips said with a little more sarcasm then he probably meant, "this does not fit in with the history of aggressive tactics she's employed in the past. You're not gonna believe why."

A picture of the hostages appeared on the spartan's hud, the smart AI then zoomed in on a girl with glasses and pink hair deep in the back of the crowd. "Now I know you've committed the current pictures of the royal family to memory, so you better know this."

"Princess Euphemia, is one of the hostages. Its the only reason Cornelia hasn't already leveled the entire convention center. Lelouch probably-"

Ohgi then reappeared carrying a box. "Hey Noble Six I found these. Should I hand them out to everyone? I mean as far as gear goes it's pretty hip but we're just a resistance group." the box was full of uniforms, the new look of this little outfit of misfits.

There was a sharp crunch as Noble Six's fingers suddenly tightened around the weapon. The spartan had almost laughed, almost. "A resistance group? Save Kallen here, You people were an annoyance at best."

Ohgi looked a little put down, a reminder of his failing as a leader. "But," Six continued, dropping the now useless weapon back on the tray. "there is... potential. I see it as does Zero, otherwise he wouldn't be here to help you. We, are to be... knights for justice." Ohgi and Kallen looked at the spartan like his head just fallen off. "Zero's words not mine." then their expressions changed to one of inspiration.

There was a subtle "I still think its rather corny too." Phillips whispered into Noble Six's ear.

* * *

Back in Kawaguchi the ASEECs team were going over the Lancelot's systems to make sure it was combat ready i,f and when, the viceroy would have need of them.

So far everything was running at optimal efficiency, but Ms. Croomy then noticed Suzaku had set one of the knightmare's main screen to the news broadcast while he worked.

She also noticed his interest in the footage of the hostages, and the image of the four teenage kids. "Those teenage hostages are your friends from school aren't they? Their still negotiating so don't give up hope."

"I have faith in the system. I prefer the logic of systems to individualist emotions." it was one of Suzaku's few coping mechanisms. However his calm mood abruptly changed as the Lancelot detected movement from the hotel. The targeting system quickly zero'd in on the source, providing a clear picture on the white knightmare's main screen. "Ms Ceciel look."

"That's..." Suzaku breathed, his face growing paler as he watched several JLF terrorists lead a bound hostage onto the roof of the tower. "Don't do it-!"

The man teetered on the ledge, then one nudge sent the doomed soul over the brink.

"NOOOoooo!" Suzaku cried as the man tumbled down to his doom.

* * *

Everyone in the G1 base were one step away from going nuts. The JLF had just upped their game by sacrificing a civilian life, with the intention of repeating it every hour their demands were not met. Princess Cornelia had enough of sitting on that useless throne every mobile base came equipped with and was making he way to the side hanger with darlton amd Guilford, where her personal kightmare waited for her.

"This is their warning? Barbarians." they were all thinking it, Darlton just went ahead and said it.

"For now we could negotiate just getting the women and children out-"

"Forget it!" Cornelia shouted, silancing her knight. "If you give in to their conditions even once then your simply legitimizing terrorism." the viceroy refused to give these… she was so angry that she couldn't even come up with a properly demeaning title for them. They were way past the eleven reference, the common stinking monkey was a kindness by this point, and lowly cockroach wasn't the right fit either. She was so angry that this big of a mess could happen on her watch that she just wanted to get in her knightmare, storm the gates, and rip that - head off like a bottle cap with the glascow's hands.

"Then do we use force?" Guilford asked, giving a voice to the princess' thoughts. Before everyone was reminded of the obvious reason why they hadn't resorted to that plan already.

"We would pursue that course of action after we secure the safety of princess Euphemia."

An there was the heart of the viceroy's problem. The one person that would bring the goddess of victory to a halt, that she'd do anything to protect. And she was in the heart of the enemy camp.

Just then a soldier arrived with an urgent message. "Viceroy! it's Zero! We just received a message from Zero."

"WHAT!"

* * *

At the edge of lake Kawaguchi, Dietard was fishing to pass the time until the station's next broadcast. Until one of the support crew gave him a shock.

"What? What do you mean van three was stolen by Zero? What the hell was Gibson doing all the while?"

"He said once he realized what was happening it was too late."

"Then where's van three now?" Dietard ask. The answer almost made his jaw hit the floor.

"Driving strait towards the military."

* * *

Like an obsidian idol, Lelouch stood stock still as the stolen van rolled up to the hotel's front gate. Every weapon was trained on him, but no one had the guts to fire. That right was reserved for the viceroy, who conveniently enough was waiting for him in her personal Gloucester.

"Well well, we meet again Zero." Princess Cornelia shouted from the seat of her knightmare's open cockpit. "Are you a member of the Japan Liberation front? Or do you intend to help us? Regardless, our priorities take precedence over yours at the moment, and so for the death of my half brother Clovis I shall take my revenge right here.

"Cornelia, which would you chose? Clovis who is dead, or Euphemia who is alive."

The second princess paled at those words. How could he have known?

Lelouch couldn't help but mentally pat himself on the back. He had underestimated her abilities in the field their during last encounter but not maters of the heart. "it's within my power to save Euphimia for you."

Her response was strong, but unmistakably hollow. "What do you mean? I have no idea what your talking about."

"I said that I am able to rescue her." Zero repeated.

Cornelia resisted the urge to shoot him then and there, but he knew she was in there. Zero knew Euphemia was in the hotel with the JLF. If he knew that, then who else could?

"There is no way that should have worked." Six said to himself, even though Phillips found it rhetorical he jokingly commented any way.

"Oh come on, have a little fa-"

"No really, I was fully prepared to enact Plan C right here and now." Six said as he clicked the safety back on his magnum before placing it back on his hip.

"Wait, What?"

"She's on the list."

"I know that but this… its not… crap, you're right. This would have been the perfect opportunity to capitalize on Plan C."

Outside the van, every soldier shared that same disbelief the Spartan had.

And sir Guilford was the first to express it. "Viceroy what are we doing?"

"I believe that by letting Zero go in we can buy some time before the next hostage is executed. So this is our chance. We can hit them both at the same time. Radio the transport, I want it in the air and at "

* * *

"Wonderful! I want to thank you for that lovely order." Lloyd all but screamed in joy. "They said you've got the green light Lancealot, you've got orders to charge right in to that linear cannon in the tunnel."

Cecil however was horrified. "Wait a minute, you mean they're using him as a decoy to make an opening for them?"

"Yup. Seems they'll use the confusion to send in the royal guard." Nothing would dampen Lloyd's spirits now that his prized creation would be allowed to shine as it should.

"Seems like!? But Loyd-"

"Ms Ceceil." Suzaku's interruption stopped her before she could say anything else "I'm ready, please allow me to do it. If Lancelot and I are needed and we're able to give the hostages an opportunity to be saved then I'll do it. Even if it means being a decoy."

She didn't like it. She was being ordered to make a boy charge headlong down a single shaft with no cover, no exits, and a giant anti knightmare cannon at the other end. And to make it worse, the boy being sent on this suicide mission was begging to go.

* * *

While clearly a distinct entity from its brain donor, a smart AI will often retain varying degrees of residual memories, thoughts or feelings from the seed brain. These may range from mannerisms, feelings, or even the AI avatar's likeness to the donor or associating certain sensations with those the brain donor may have experienced. This also gives each individual AI a very unique perspective of the digital world around them.

Ping.

Phillips was almost done sifting through the ocean of raw information he had acquired from the EU and Chinese Federation, just a handful of people were left to be investigated.

"Okay Mr. CEO of the European union's biggest" Ping "multi-billion-dollar mega corp, let's shine a light into your" Ping "closet and see what sort of skeletons jump out."

It wasn't all that hard to do a background check on a person when the encryption on all their personal data was over 500 years out of date. "Wow, then again your company may not be so mega after" Ping "finish paying all the fines and bills you've racked up over the years. I mean that's a lot of " Ping " government personnel you got on your payroll. Lobbyists, inspectors, law enforcement, wow there's even" Ping "holy Toledo! I thought organizations like that were a myth! Forget skeletons I just found the whole damn grave–"

PING

"Okay who is doing that!? It is getting really annoying." No one responded to Phillips's question, because he was alone in the system.

When a smart AI comes into contact with various forms of digital stimuli is been known to cause interesting, and sometimes amusing, reactions. It's never really the same, but what happens is something like memories and physical experience can be triggered as a direct response. Like in Phillips case each one of these little attempts to access his system were pulling up the very unpleasant sting of a slush ball to the back of the head, followed by the icy trickle down the back of the neck.

"Ryo listen, I know you don't understand most of what I'm doing, but this? It's unbelievable, this new network is acting like a digital siphon. It's sucking up huge amounts of data at a rate I never thought was possible until today!"

"Okay that I get, what does it mean?"

Ryo Sayama and Yukiya Naruse were two kids

"It means, if I can access this damn thing, that everything would be at our fingertips. Real-estate, weapons distribution, financial transactions… Early access to movies that haven't been released in theaters yet."

"Really?" Ryo asked very interested in the direction this was going. "Well then,what do you need?"

"Really, just one more minute and..." Yukiya watched as the code filtered through the screen' growing more excited as the status bar reached 90, then 95, 98, then stopped as a red warning window popped into view.

"Whats happening?"

"No no No NO! The security measures are resting themselves- DAM IT!" and the screen went dark. "I almost had administrative level access to the network."

"Yeah and look where that got you." Ryo and Yukiya took a confused look at each other before looking back at micro laptop's screen. The blank screen had been replaced by a pulsating light. "However some congratulations are in order, you are the first, and so far the only person to get this far. So here's a prize."

The screen shifted back to its original settings, and it only took the young hacker one look to realize that his systems had been severely compromised. "Crap!"

"You've got some skills kid, so lets see you use em. And hey, if you can pull off debugging this potential paper weight I might have a job for you. With some real tech to go with it." As the audio cut out Phillips left the last words unsaid, because I will be watching you.

Well, I seem to have made a new special friend. A 16-year-old Japanese refugee living in Europe. The little bugger is part of a underground gang of similar origins, and he actually tried to hack me, me can you believe it? In truth I found him completely by accident, trying to empty a bank account I had already cleared out myself. Compared to the level of programmers I'm used to, this kid isn't half bad, even got this little pink sprite as his personal avatar calling card. I think I'll be keeping an eye on him for a while, not that he will be doing much for the next couple of months anyway after the bug I put in his system. Speaking of keeping my eye on things better check back on the hotel situation before-

Oh crud.

* * *

"Six we have a problem."

"What is it Phillips." Noble Six said after he turned off his external speakers.

"After re-positioning our eye in the sky for a better vantage point of the structure, it would appear the JLF have... moved the hostages."

Six didn't like where this was going. "Where are they now?"

"Current footage from the thermal imaging system points to them being led to helipad four."

The Spartan sighed as the elevator reached it's destination, this mission was quickly setting itself up for a full on FUBAR. Six then held his arm out to bar the other occupants from leaving. " New orders from Zero. Kallen, Ohgi, you and the others will regroup with Tamaki's group and assist him with the demo charges. Once completed you will then move down to secure the escape route for the hostages."

The two former terrorists looked at each other briefly, unsure if they should follow these orders.

Before Six could pull out one of the collection of tricks Phillips had been putting together for just such a situation, Kallen let out a sigh. "Okay fine, we'll check up on him. And just for the record, Tamaki is not a... Total, idiot."

"I never said he was." Noble Six stepped off the elevator. "I'm just waiting for him to prove it." He said as the sliding door closed. Once the numbers above the elevator dropped to a sufficiently low level the spartan gave Zero the news. "There's been a change of plans. The general has moved the hostages, I am currently in route to your position."

There was no point in waiting for a response, by now Zero was already face-to-face with general Kusakabe. Their room was one floor down on the other side of the building, and while shooting a hole in the floor to make an express route seemed promising. But Noble Six decided this was a better time to conserve ammunition. The stairs were out of the question, which left the elevators. And there were only two that could handle his weight that let out on this floor. Since the one closest was being used, the spartan quickly walked to the spare elevator.

* * *

Euphemia was scared, confused, and none of it was for her own well-being. After the general had made his declaration and revealed his hostages to the news, the rest of the soldiers had gathered everyone up and began marching them to the helipad on the roof. Taking extra care to examine each civilian as they passed by. When one of the high school students, a timid girl with glasses and dark hair tied into pigtails, panicked as one of the JLF soldiers got to close, the princess couldn't stop herself from coming out into the open. Despite the nearly silent protests by the attendees her older sister had assigned to guard her, Euphie couldn't allow herself to watch as the soldier had grabbed hold of the young schoolgirl in order to drag her off to some unknown location.

Instead of the expected shock of a royal being discovered in a hostage situation. The soldiers of the Japanese liberation front immediately shuffled her off to a elevator to be taken down to the general with two other soldiers where as the rest of the hostages were cramped together in a separate lift, somehow the JLF already knew who she was. And that's where her concern started, if they knew who she was then what need would they have for civilian hostages? If she could just reach the general the young princess believed she could negotiate a settlement on behalf of her elder sister. Then the elevator stopped just above the generals floor, and all hopes of a peaceful settlement were dashed against the rocks of reality.

The Sliding doors opened to reveal a incredibly tall suit of black and red armor in a large trench-coat with his finger on the elevator call button. Both men of the Japanese liberation front immediately went to their weapons, but could only raise their rifles halfway before both men fell to the floor. Blood pooling around their shoulders. Looking back at the armored knight she saw a large curved blade in his hand.

When did he draw a knife?

"Your majesty." The armored giant said before stepping into the elevator, taking care not to step on the recently deceased men. "Forgive me if I do not bow to you, but I think the situation warrants more practical manners."

He then pressed the button for the doors to close, but nothing happened. He pressed it several more times with the same result, until he took another look at the two corpses on the floor and realized one of them had his head lying over the threshold. The princess could sense the agitation in his movements as she watched him pick up the fallen soldier with one hand then lay him across the floor outside the elevator. The next second he did the same for the second soldier, laying him next to his comrade. While stripping them of their guns ammunition and anything else of use could find on them, making sure to leave any personal items behind.

When the doors finally closed she took another look at her... possible, rescuer. He was well over six feet tall, probably seven. What armor she saw under the black trench coat was just as dark, with bits of dark red.

He would not look at her but Euphimia knew he was fully aware of her presence. The large knife in his hand twitched with indecision. "Are you deciding weather or not to kill me yourself?"

"There is a personal debate on that. Zero has ordered that no harm was to come to the princes once she is recovered, and that is what I intend to do." He answered despite the MJOLNIR VI/S helmet's perceived narrow vision, the scout helmet was designed to remove blind spots so Noble Six could easily look at the small princess without turning his head. "Do I frighten you?"

"No"

Now Noble Six turned his head to look at the princess directly. "Really?" Euphimia stared straight back at him, and like she said there was no fear in her eyes, at least, not of him. The elevator doors opened as they reached the desired floor. The third princess walked off first, leaving the spartan to continue to stare at her until she asked. "Does it bother you that much?"

"NO!" Six almost shouted stepping of the platform just before the doors started to close. "No, just surprised. Fear is a common reaction that I've come to expect from people when they see me fort the first time." Six crossed his arms before resting his chin on his knuckles, creating a contemplative pose. "Of course thinking back on that I may not have been trying hard enough to avoid creating such emotions in others."

"I can understand how useful fear can be. But its not something a person should rely on."

"Agreed," the super soldier held his arm out, causing the princess to stop. just a few feet ahead the hall broke into a four way intersection. "but sometimes, fear is the appropriate response." Six stared at the wall to his left. his motion tracker showed two people at the end of the other hall

"Members of the Japan Liberation Front, I am a member of Zero's organization. Lay down your weapons and surrender, you will not be harmed. You may be allowed to fire the contents of your first clip, but be warned, if hostilities continue beyond that, I will kill you."

Noble Six turned the corner and was met by a hail of bullets, but just like the Britannian weapons back in Shinjuku, the Japanese assault rifles barely had any affect on his shields. Half way down the hall the JLF ran out of bullets, Six stopped and waited. The looks on the JLF's faces were a mix of shock and confusion, and it stuck that way for a whole minute.

"Well?" The Spartan asked.

One soldier reached for a fresh clip, causing Noble Six to burst forward to strike. Maybe Six was a second too late or perhaps the former Japanese soldier had practiced reloading a hundred times, but even if it was both, the JLF soldier had slammed a fresh clip into his assault rifle and fired one shot, point blank, right into the super soldier's face. However instead of shrugging it off like a rain drop on a sponge, that one bullet had brought Noble Six to a dead stop, his helmet pointed toward the ceiling with a line of smoke trailing from his face.

Once more the soldier's face was a mix of shock but now there was excitement. He'd shot the-

"What... was... that?" The demon slowly asked.

The excitement was instantly squashed by the sudden absolute terror of knowing that he'd failed to kill a person who was most likely going to break every bone in his body, one at a time, if the rumors were to be believed.

"Seriously, was is in that gun?" Six asked again as he brought his head back down to look at the man who shot him. "Because I actually felt that."

The former soldier looked down at his weapon in confusion, first because he'd been able to actual hurt someone who rumors were starting to call indestructible, secondly his rifle had been snatched from his hands so quickly the man didn't realize it was gone. Noble six scanned the assault rifle, it was a standard issue Japanese assault rifle, its read out exactly like the Britannian's in all but the smallest details, except one.

Taking the weapon in both hands the spartan put his face to the barrel turned the armor's shields up to max and pulled the trigger. Granted it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done, but the effect was still the same. his head jerked back from the bullet's impact and caused a sudden familiar drop in his shields that he hadn't seen for several days. Placing a hand on both sides of the assault weapon six brought the rifle down on his knee and snapped it in two, sending its small fragile parts sailing through the air. Until the one piece noble six was looking for landed in the palm of his hand. At first glance you'd think it was a case-less bullet, the same standard ammunition used by every other native to this planet.

"An armor piercing bullet... I'm unfamiliar with this design, how come they're not on any of Britannia's records."

"Its... its a new model made by our allies in India. These were the first test batch." The man smiled trying to sound friendly, and useful.

"Interesting, Teflon coating, shaped tungsten carbide core, all housed in a sabot shell, plus with the near universal standard of fire arms it will easily fit into almost any gun. I'd say five more shots with this and you could have actually killed me." Then Six hit him with a single swift uppercut, causing the man's head to snap back with a loud self explaining crack. Everyone froze as the young man stared up at the ceiling, his head at a unnatural angle, before falling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

The other soldier pulled out his pistol, but instead of pointing it at Euphimia or the spartan, he put the muzzle to his own head. Before he could pull the trigger the small gun was pulled from his hands and pinned to the wall by the same knife Noble Six used to kill the two terrorists in the elevator.

"Don't be so quick to take the cowards way out." Six said as he retrieved the kukri knife.

the princess stared at the giant soldier with wide eyes "You let him live, Even stopped him from killing himself. After you slew his comrade right in front of him, why?"

"I gave my word. I want that to mean something." his words were echoed by the footsteps made by the man as he ran down the hall until he disappeared through a door marked stairs. "Something people should practice more often."

Euphimia was surprised, this man seemed to embody everything Britannia strives for: strength, power, glory. But in this monster of a man there was also integrity, mercy, and restraint. "Might I ask you to carry a message to Zero, and perhaps a small favor?"

"I... will listen." Six said as he started to examine the door.

"I know what, my brother, Zero wants of my sister."

Noble Six seemed to stiffen slightly before turning to face the young princess once again.

"I know my sister's entire schedule for the next several months and I can give you the perfect time and place for the two of them to meet. I only ask one thing, otherwise this agreement is off."

"And what's that?"

What the princess said next would go down in the super soldiers record as the most serous, stern, and threatening order he'd ever gotten from her. She did not raise her voice, make any threatening gestures, or any overly emotional out bursts. She just looked him squarely in the eye and said. "No harm is to come to my sister, under stood?" he would never admit it, but Noble Six had almost taken a step back right then and there, and the part that bugged him the most was he couldn't figure out why.

* * *

Despite the growing annoyance of the ever changing situation, Lelouch maintained the calm persona of Zero. "You have no intention of joining me?"

"Remove your mask and reveal your real face to us. It's disrespectful not to."

"I understand, but before I do I'd like to ask you something. What exactly do you hope to accomplish by this action?"

Kusakabe smiled like it was something to be proud of. "Gain attention. I want this country and the world to know the Japanese aren't dead yet."

Lelouch was less than impressed by the LC's answer. "How stale. You people are obsolete. There's no saving you."

"What! Why you arrogant-"

One of the general's subordinates didn't like Zero's reaction and was ready to show his anger. But Kusakabe wasn't arrogant enough to strike him down for it, because he could tell zero knew something he didn't."

"Explain what you mean by that Zero."

"In a moment, there is some one else who would like to speak with you about it."

"Who?"

Everyone almost jumped at the sound of two assault rifles suddenly firing outside the room. The short silence that followed was almost deafening. It was then pierced by a single rifle shot, shortly followed by another .

"That would be him now." Zero then noticed no one was moving. "Well go on, don't keep him waiting."

One of the JLF soldiers built up the nerve to open it. But he had no sooner activated the sliding mechanism before the door its self was knocked right off its hinges by a front kick from the spartan. the door, a solid reinforced armored plate covered in a very expensive mahogany veneer, sailed across the room until it struck the far wall. Where it ricocheted off and back to its point of origin causing the two JLF guards to jump for their lives as the high speed object bounced off the floor between them. Noble Six then caught the quick moving piece of metal and wood.

"How'd you know that these VIP rooms are built like vaults and the weakest point is the door frame?" Phillips asked.

"I didn't, i just got tired of waiting for someone to open the stupid thing." Six said on his internal comm as he placed the dented and warped, former, obstruction across the now vacant door frame.

Lieutenant colonel Kusakabe's hand was gripping the hilt of his sword but he didn't draw it. Not because he'd be shot before he could pull it even halfway out.

There was something about the imposing figure in front of him that scared the general. By watching him, the . saw the control in every movement as it took it's place behind Zero, he could feel the weight of every footstep, smell the blood that had been spilled, even his mouth went dry as he watched this giant machine move behind Zero. But what scared the hardened soldier even more was the silence, was its source, this giant armored man had yet to make so much as a squeak after kicking down the door.

"So you're thee lieutenant colonel Josui Kusakabe. I'm whelmed..."

* * *

**Well, I feel... ashamed at how long this took.**

** but i hope this proves/reminds everyone that this thing is still going. I will finish this thing!**

**So please PLEASE, post reviews, comments, speculations, predictions on what you think might happen latter down the line. I really want to see them.**

**PS: Does anybody know where I can get some cover art at a decent price?**


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